Data and Research

The Data and Research Team works in collaboration with the BSCC Divisions to collect data, maintain various databases, evaluate grant-funded programs, and support the evaluation of grant proposals. Key responsibilities include:

• Develop short-term and long-term solutions for data collection and analysis
• Design, implement, and support data collection and evaluation of grant funded programs and projects
• Provide support for the development and implementation of Grant Proposal Evaluation Systems

Kasey Warmuth, Deputy Director

Important Caution About Interpreting Trends Data

BSCC provides various datasets to permit description of trends in critical measures over time, statewide and by county. Diverse patterns among counties reflect not only differences in policy approaches, but other county-specific factors such as the following:

• Income, poverty, unemployment, and crime rates
• Features of illicit markets and associations such as street drug supply and demand, distribution systems for stolen autos and parts, and street gang allegiances and rivalries.
• Population densities and distributions of populations along geographic, racial, ethnic, age, and urban-rural lines.
• Available county resources, e.g., opening or closing of jail units; hiring or lay-offs of police officers, court-ordered population caps; and arrangements for leasing beds among counties;

The trends may raise useful questions about county-level patterns, but by themselves, do not answer those questions. No inferences about the comparative performance of counties, therefore, are warranted based on trends alone.