RateMyCop.com

RateMyCop

Screenshot The homepage of RateMyCop on March 17, 2017
Created by	Gino Sesto Rebecca Costell
URL	ratemycop.com (defunct)
Registration	Optional
Launched	February 28, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-02-28)
Current status	Shut down

RateMyCop.com (also stylized RATEMYCOP.com^[1]) was a review site that allowed users to give feedback on police officers in the United States. The website contained info on over 300,000 officers obtained through public records, which could be searched through by name, state, or department, in addition to allowing users to comment on and rate officers in regards to professionalism, fairness, and overall satisfaction. The website was started in February 2008 by Gino Sesto and Rebecca Costell, who were inspired by other websites that allowed users to rate their teachers or doctors. The website faced several challenges in its history, including its legality being challenged in the Utah State Senate, losing its domain hosts twice, and a user being arrested for posting on the website.

The website received mixed to negative reception from police officers and their associates, hinging on the danger it could have posed to officers in duty, the possibility of personal information being posted on the website, and the lack of personal accountability for what was posted. Other officers remained unconcerned with it, or even wanted to use it or similar websites as tools for communication with the public. RateMyCop.com has been frequently cited as an example of how Web 2.0 technologies like social computing could affect the transparency of services provided by governments.