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. |
Download a video of Welcoming Remarks and Panel 1 Download a podcast of Welcoming Remarks and Panel 1 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. |
Download a video of “New Cato Survey” and closing remarks Download a podcast of “New Cato Survey” and closing remarks Adam Bates, Cato Institute |
4:00 p.m. | Reception |