It's worth pointing out this historical context mentioned in the OP's Github:<p>> <i>Council Member Jessica Lappin got into an animated discussion with Petito over traffic crash data. When Lappin asked why NYPD is releasing data in PDF form — and only after the council adopted legislation forcing the department to do so — Petito replied that the department is "concerned with the integrity of the data itself." Petito said NYPD believes data released on a spreadsheet could be manipulated by people who want "to make a point of some sort." An incredulous Lappin assured Petito that the public only wants to analyze the data to improve safety, not use it for "evil."</i><p>This is a persistent problem in public records law: officials who are asked to provide public data in computer parsable formats but instead, deliver it as PDFs or worse, as paper printouts.<p>The reason given by the NYPD is so common a trope that it's hard to say that they're just technically slow. When you consider that the NYPD has taken strong criticism for not investigating fatal accidents seriously, it's reasonable to suspect the NYPD of actively obfuscating when they use the "oh but they'll alter the spreadsheets!"