The highly publicized officer-involved killings of Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, and others have prompted renewed discussions about American law enforcement. Police departments face increasing criticism from protesters, the media, and the federal government. President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing published its recommendations earlier this year, but what do they mean for officers and the communities they patrol? Is sweeping reform necessary? With approximately 18,000 police agencies operating in the United States, is such reform even possible?
American policing is changing. Emerging technologies provide new methods both for police accountability and surveillance capabilities. Law enforcement scholars and practitioners continue to develop innovative strategies to address crime and disorder. In many cities, police agencies are wrestling with how to increase public safety while respecting the dignity of individuals, particularly in minority communities.
An array of law enforcement experts will explore these issues and more at the Cato Institute's conference "Policing in America." We hope that you will join us for a lively discussion of the developing changes and looming challenges in American law enforcement policy.
| 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. |
Registration |
| 9:00 – 9:10 a.m. |
Welcoming Remarks
Jonathan Blanks, Cato Institute |
| 9:10 – 10:20 a.m. |
Panel 1: The Costs and Benefits of Emerging Police Technologies
Nathan Freed Wessler, Staff Attorney, Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, American Civil Liberties Union
Alex Rosenblat, Researcher and Technical Writer, Data & Society Research Institute
Lynn Overmann, Senior Policy Advisor to the US Chief Technology Officer at the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy
Moderated by: Matthew Feeney, Cato Institute |
| 10:20 – 10:30 a.m. |
Break |
| 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. |
Remarks by Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform |
| 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Panel 2: To Serve and Protect: A Discussion about Police Accountability
Max Geron, Major, Dallas Police Department
Cynthia Lum, Associate Professor, George Mason University Department of Criminology, Law and Society and Director, Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy
Samuel Walker, Emeritus Professor, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Moderated by: Wesley Lowery, Washington Post |
| 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. |
Lunch
With remarks by Ronald L. Davis, Director, Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice |
| 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. |
Panel 3: Police and the Community: Minority Perspectives
Vicki Gaubeca, Director, Regional Center for Border Rights, ACLU-New Mexico
Wadie E. Said, Professor, University of South Carolina School of Law
Moderated by: Jonathan Blanks, Cato Institute |
| 2:15 – 3:30 p.m. |
Panel 4: Rethinking Law Enforcement Strategies
David A. Klinger, Professor, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Clark Neily, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice
Jerry Ratcliffe, Chair, Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University
Moderated by: Trevor Burrus, Cato Institute |
| 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. |
New Cato Survey: American Attitudes Towards the Police
Emily Ekins, Cato Institute |
| 3:45 – 4:00 p.m. |
Closing Remarks
Adam Bates, Cato Institute |
| 4:00 p.m. |
Reception |
