Tag: law enforcement

Posted on

Investing in Summer Youth Employment Programs Creates Stronger, Safer Communities 

To reduce crime, enhance public safety, and improve outcomes for people involved with the criminal justice system, we need to follow the evidence. Across the country, we have seen how proactive strategies like summer youth employment programs (SYEPs) have been proven to counter this seasonal crime spike, offer at-risk youth a more constructive path forward, and reduce violence. Moreover, these programs have a lasting effect, helping to bring down crime and violence throughout the year.

Posted on

My chat with NPR: “Six Republican governors sending National Guard troops to D.C.”

Recently, I spoke with National Public Radio's (NPR) Meg Anderson about President Trump's and various state governors' move to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C. Our conversation was long and her segment featured a brief comment about how we may see crime decrease in the short-term but likely not over the long-term. How to best address violent crime is a serious issue that needs serious interventions backed by rigorous evidence. There are already several that we know work.

Posted on

“Safer States: Shoring Up the Public Safety Workforce”

Thankful to have had the chance to present and moderate a panel at the 2025 National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Summit on “Safer States: Shoring Up the Public Safety Workforce." Adequately, staffing public safety roles — especially in law enforcement, corrections, and public defense — has become an increasingly urgent challenge across the country. These are some of the most critical, high-stakes, and high-stress jobs in government, and the people who fill them shape the daily experience of safety in our communities. Agencies across the country are facing historic workforce shortages. The challenge isn’t just keeping people on the job — it’s finding and hiring enough qualified candidates in the first place.

Posted on

As Foundation for ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis Cracks, Fallout Spreads

I was happy to talk with KFF Health News on the important new developments debunking the faulty science of the "excited delirium" diagnosis. This diagnosis, which is not based in objective, credible science has been used as a finding for cause of death in numerous police killings of civilians, especially Black men. It had been …

Continue reading "As Foundation for ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis Cracks, Fallout Spreads"

Posted on

Special Issue Guest Editor: Envisaging the future of policing and public health

I had the great opportunity to partner with Dr. Nick Crofts of the Centre for Law Enforcement and Public Health (Australia) to serve as the Guest Editor for a special issue of the Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being. The special issue, Envisaging Healthy and Safe Communities, shares lessons from a project we led that sought to document and highlight initiatives across the globe that are taking alternative approaches to promote health and safety.

Posted on

Book Launch—City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands – July 11 NYC

I am very happy to host this book launch and moderate the subsequent discussion with Dan Werb, Maia Szalavitz, and Dr. Patty Gonzalez-Zuñiga, and featuring Dan's new book City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands. Having visited and supported harm reduction and community safety work in Tijuana for the past several …

Continue reading "Book Launch—City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands – July 11 NYC"

Posted on

Portuguese & Russian language versions of “Police & Harm Reduction” now available

A quick post to share that my guidance document for law enforcement - "Police and Harm Reduction" - is now available for free download in both Russian and Portuguese in addition to English. A Spanish language version is coming soon. As a reminder as to what this guidance document is about: "In many cities around the …

Continue reading "Portuguese & Russian language versions of “Police & Harm Reduction” now available"