> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.pdap.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.pdap.io/about/data-dictionaries/agencies-data-dictionary.md).

# Agencies data dictionary

{% hint style="info" %}
To see which options are available for select fields, consult the [submission form](https://airtable.com/shrzxLdSsYmBvIWMH).
{% endhint %}

### Required properties for submission

`submitter_contact`, `submitted_name`, `homepage_url`, `jurisdiction_type`, `agency_type`, + geographic info dependent on the `jurisdiction_type`.

## Identification & web presence

| Property            | Type                                        | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| name                | string                                      | If a `state` is present, concatenates `submitted_name` + `" - "` + `state_iso` to help differentiate agencies with similar names in some Airtable menus. Otherwise, uses `submitted_name`.                                     |
| submitted\_name     | string                                      | What does the agency call itself?                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| agency\_type        | string                                      | Options include `police`, `court`, `jail`, and `aggregated`, which usually represents coverage of multiple types of agency.                                                                                                    |
| contracting\_agency | link to other records from `agencies` table | If the jurisdiction or agency contracts its police services to another agency, it can be selected here.                                                                                                                        |
| multi\_agency       | boolean                                     | True for utility agencies, used to geolocate data sources which cover multiple agencies. For example, a source about the "Allegheny County Aggregated" multi-agencies contains records about all agencies in Allegheny County. |
| defunct\_year       | integer                                     | If present, denotes an agency which has defunct but may still have relevant records.                                                                                                                                           |
| homepage\_url       | string                                      | A URL for the homepage of this agency.                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| no\_web\_presence   | boolean                                     | True when an agency does not have a dedicated website.                                                                                                                                                                         |

## Geographic

| Property           | Type                                          | Description                                                                                          |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| jurisdiction\_type | string                                        | What is the highest level of jurisdiction for the agency? Can be an option like `local` or `county`. |
| state\_iso         | string                                        | 2-character ISO code. Does not apply to federal agencies.                                            |
| county\_fips       | string (not an integer because of leading 0s) | Unique 5-digit code to identify counties. Does not apply to state or federal agencies.               |
| county\_name       | string                                        | Official County name. Does not apply to state or federal agencies.                                   |
| municipality       | string                                        | Official municipality name. Does not apply to county, state, or federal agencies.                    |
| zip\_code          | string (not an integer because of leading 0s) | Postal code for the agency's headquarters.                                                           |
| lat                | float                                         | Geographic latitude for the agency's headquarters.                                                   |
| lng                | float                                         | Geographic longitude for the agency's headquarters.                                                  |

## Meta & utility

| Property      | Type   | Description                                               |
| ------------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| airtable\_uid | string | The Airtable-generated UID of this particular data source |


---

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