Future of Public Safety Speaker Series and Report

Future for Public Safety

In 2020, John Jay College of Criminal Justice partnered with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) on the Future of Public Safety Speaker Series and Report. 

Following a series of honest, public conversations with community activists, police chiefs, business leaders, policymakers, public health professionals, and educators, we published a report and roadmap for communities across the nation to implement and move toward a new model of public safety that is equitable for all.

John Jay's work did not stop with the publication of the report. Through John Jay's Future of Public Safety Initiative, we are now committed to working with communities across the country to implement the public safety innovations described in the report.

Speaker Series

From September 10 to October 1, 2020, John Jay College and NOBLE hosted a series of six livestreamed conversations to reimagine the future of public safety and redefine the role of policing in America today. These sessions culminated in the release of the public report linked below.

Watch the Future of Public Safety Speaker Series:

September 10, 2020 

Watch the Kickoff Session

Recent events have sparked a broad national reckoning around long-standing issues related to race, public safety, and policing in America. How did we get here, and how do we make sure diverse voices are included in finding solutions?

Featuring:

President Karol Mason
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

C.J. Davis
Immediate past President of NOBLE and Durham Chief of Police

Keisha Lance-Bottoms
Atlanta Mayor 

DeAnna Hoskins
JustLeadershipUSA President & CEO

Danielle Outlaw
Philadelphia Police Commissioner

Medaria Arradondo
Minneapolis Chief of Police 

Wes Moore
Robin Hood Foundation CEO 

Sean Smoot
Director of the Police Benevolent and Protective Association of Illinois 

Erica Ford
Founder of LIFE Camp

Speaker Bios available here.

 September 15, 2020 

Watch Session One

Activists and advocates across sectors, ideologies, and movements have called for a range of solutions. How should we define “public safety” in 21st Century America, and what does that mean for policing?

Featuring:

Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Activist and Organizer  

Chris Magnus
Tucson Chief of Police

Pastor Mike McBride 
The Way Christian Center

Daryl Atkinson
Forward Justice Co-Director 

Arthur Rizer
R Street Director

Matthew Horace
Mayo Clinic Chief Security Officer 

Ron DeLord
Police & Fire Labor Relations Consultant and Attorney at Law

Speaker bios available here.

September 17, 2020 

Watch Session Two

What is the role of police and other community actors and public servants in creating safe communities? What is the role of police and other community actors in responding to specific community challenges such as youth violence, substance abuse, and homelessness?

Featuring:

Eric Gonzalez
Brooklyn District Attorney

David Muhammad
National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform Executive Director

Dr. Leana Wen
Former Health Commissioner for the City of Baltimore and former president of Planned Parenthood 

David M. Kennedy
Director, National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Candice Jones
Public Welfare Foundation President & CEO

Speaker bios available here.

September 22, 2020

Watch Session Three

What does rethinking public safety mean for public health? This session will bring together public health professionals for a discussion about what public safety means in terms of mental health and social welfare.

Featuring:

Nadine Gracia
Trust for America's Health Vice President & COO  

Cassandra Crifasi
Center for Gun Policy and Research at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Deputy Director 

Marc Zimmerman
Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Director 

Howard Spivak​
National Institute of Justice former Deputy Director 

Thomas LaVeist
Tulane University Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity

Speaker bios available here.

September 24, 2020 

Watch Session Four

What investments are needed in order to build safe and thriving communities? What does this mean for the future of policing?

Featuring: 

Daryl Atkinson
Forward Justice Co-Director 

Celia Oullette
Responsible Business Initiative for Justice Founder & CEO

Michael Harrison
Baltimore Police Commissioner

Merisa Heu-Weller
Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative Director 

Louis Dekmar
Former International Association of Chiefs of Police President and LaGrange Chief of Police 

Tanya Coke
Director, Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice at the Ford Foundation

Speaker bios available here.

October 1, 2020

Watch Session Five

Who should we be recruiting to serve as police officers in this new paradigm?  What skills/personality traits/values should they have? How do we equip law enforcement for this newly defined role?

Featuring: 

Phillipe Cunningham
Minneapolis City Councilmember

Markasa Tucker
Director of the African American Roundtable at Wisconsin Voices

Michael Blake
New York Assemblyman

David Mahoney
National Sheriffs' Association President and Dane County, WI Sheriff 

Scott Thomson
former Camden County Police Commissioner

Lenore Anderson
Founder and President, Californians for Safety and Justice

Speaker bios available here.

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Contact Us

Email

ReimaginePublicSafety@jjay.cuny.edu

Phone

212-237-8600

Address

524 West 59th Street

New York, NY 10019

6th Floor, Haaren Hall