Complex Social Interactions Lab
Improving Support and Safety through Partnership and Innovation
Founded in Fall 2016, the Complex Social Interactions Lab at Washington State University collaborates with law enforcement agencies to analyze body-worn camera footage, providing departments with a deeper understanding of their interactions with the community. The lab serves the dual purpose of advancing public safety research while providing students with hands-on experience in data collection and analysis. To date, the lab has analyzed over 50,000 hours of footage at no charge to agencies. Over 500 students have participated in the lab, with nearly 50 actively involved each semester to support agencies. During the 2024-2025 academic year, students logged 4,320 research hours for the lab.
The CSI Lab knows it can be difficult to utilize bodycam footage to better your agency.
We’ll make this a simple process for you because the lab can:
Agency Partnership
- Analyzes body-worn camera free of charge for agencies
- Provides reports and guidance to improve decision-making
- Validates police reports
- CJIS Compliant
Technology Advancement
- Building open-source technology for agencies and community partners
- Focus on assistive technology
- Improving data collection tools to improve data quality and accessibility
- Provisional Patents
Student Mentorship
- Trains WSU students on ethical data collection and analysis
- Opportunities for independent research for theses, capstones, and conference presentations
- Accepts students from all backgrounds
Testimonials
“As a psychology and CJ major, this was an experience that allowed me to see how important it is to study interactions and the challenges that come from trying to study interactions”.
Previous Student
“This research is inherently interdisciplinary and the data complex. I have been impressed by the willingness of the lab to explore new ideas with the data.”
Previous Collaborator
“We decided to work with the CSI lab to better understand how our officers are interacting with members of the community”.
Chief of Police
“As a student pursuing a career in law enforcement, my experience in the lab gave me a glimpse into the variety of contacts officers make. It was like doing dozens of ride-a-longs”.
Previous Student
“Our collaboration is going to allow for us to understand if our training is being applied, and ultimately if that training is working”.
Risk Management Bureau
“As a smaller agency, it is often challenging to use our BWC footage. Working with the CSI Lab, we are making our BWC work to improve how we interact with the community.”.
Police Agency
