Reimagining Policing Workshop Series
In this conversation, we discussed how participants can develop diversion programs in their communities. We heard how to facilitate police-community partnerships, define stakeholder roles, create trackable metrics, and increase public safety.
Panelists
Erica Bond
Vice President of Social Justice Initiatives, John Jay College
Mariela Ruiz-Angel
Director of the Community Safety Department, City of Albuquerque
Chief (Ret.) Brendan Cox
Director of Policing Strategies at The LEAD National Support Bureau
Moki Macias
Executive Director of the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative
Katherine Beckett
Chair of the Department of Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington
Tim Black
Outreach Director at White Bird Clinic Human Rights
“We've been implementing the program for two months and we've been out to almost 700 calls which are about 100 calls per week. Police had to see what we could do and now, we have this really well purposed and meaningful department.”
—Mariela Ruiz-Angel, Director of the Community Safety Department, City of Albuquerque
"What we figured out I think over these years is that the criminal justice system ultimately does not only not solve all the issues. So when we arrest folks over and over again, we actually cause more problems."
Chief (Ret.) Brendan Cox, Director of Policing Strategies at The LEAD National Support Bureau
"We're an independent nonprofit but we were created out of a partnership with our local city and county governments. If we can give officers another option… it gives them the opportunity to step out of a situation for which they are not the most appropriate responder."
Moki Macias, Executive Director of the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative
"It was conventional to look at recidivism and cost savings. There are a whole host of other things that you might want to look at. Things like reducing 911 calls, reducing interactions between police and vulnerable people, and improving public safety."
Katherine Beckett, Chair of the Department of Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington
"The Eugene Police Department estimates that we're saving an additional $2.2 million a year in officer labor, and so that comes together to combine nearly $17 million that is being saved to our community for a program that costs just shy of 2.3 million to run. That’s a huge return on investment."
Tim Black, Outreach Director at White Bird Clinic Human Rights
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