RCI Lecture 2020 – From Talk to Action: What Does it Mean to Reform the Police?
How can we build a more equitable system of justice? How do we work towards this goal at a time of social unrest, civil disobedience, and those advocating for more “law and order”? As we reflect on 2020 and the movement to re-imagine police and policing, we must turn towards history. In this talk, we will look to the past to inform the present and examine lessons learned from reform efforts in post-conflict societies. While reforming the police will take a political revolution, it starts with redefining what it means to police and responding to the call for community action. We must become ever an optimist because to do anything less is to acquiesce building a more equitable society.