In the wake of the George Floyd protests, new calls to “defund” the police rang across the country. In New York, $1 billion was shifted from the NYPD budget, but organizers on both sides say there’s more to be done.
The events of this year forced us to examine police institutions and what residents expect from them in keeping our communities safe.
Dr. Tracie L. Keesee is the Senior Vice President of Justice Initiatives and Co-Founder of the Center For Policing Equity (CPE), which promotes police transparency and accountability by facilitating innovative research collaborations between law enforcement agencies and empirical social scientists.
Prior to her return to CPE she served as the first ever, Deputy Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion for NYPD. As the Deputy Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Keesee was responsible for overall organizational development and implementation of the NYPD’s Equity and Inclusion strategic framework. She also served as the Deputy Commissioner of Training for NYPD. and during her tenure with the Training Bureau, Dr. Keesee directed the implementation of the paperless police academy, the expansion of in-service training capabilities through NYPD University, the restructuring of the recruit curriculum, the expansion of CIT and integrated tactics training, as well as the creation of the Credible Leadership Initiative for UMOS, just to name a few. Dr. Keesee is a retired 25-year veteran of the Denver Police Department.
Michael Simon is co-founder & CEO of Elucd, a technology company based in New York City. Previously, he established and managed the first-of-its-kind in-house analytics department for Barack Obama’s groundbreaking campaign for President of the United States, served in the Obama Administration, and founded HaystaqDNA, a data science consultancy.
Michael is a regular commentator on data, technology, and politics. He has been featured in media including the New York Times, USA Today, Wired, CNBC, PBS NewsHour, the Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed, Mashable, Slate and the Cook Political Report, and has been a guest speaker at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the World Economic Forum of Young Global Leaders. Michael received his law degree and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
