This month, Policing Project Fellow Julian Clark was a featured panelist for New York Law School’s “Policing the Police: Enforcing Transparency and Accountability” event, co-sponsored by the NYLS Racial Justice Project and the NYLS chapter of the American Constitutional Society. The event was held as part of the 2019 Northeast Regional Convening of the American Constitution Society.

Led by moderator Rebecca Roiphe, professor of law and co-dean for faculty scholarship at NYLS, the discussion focused on the legal options available to hold police officers and police departments accountable for misconduct, including individual tort litigation, government oversight, impact litigation, democratic accountability and community activism.

The panel fielded an array of questions, such as: Can the police effectively police themselves? Front-end v. back-end accountability—is one more effective than the other, and how do we strike the right balance between the two to achieve transparent, ethical, and effective policing policies and practices? How are technology and data being used to promote and/or inhibit accountability and transparency? What role, if any, does private litigation play in changing the conduct of the police? And, what should policing in America look like in the near future?

In addition to Julian, the panel featured:

Monifa Bandele, Vice President and Chief Partnership & Equity Officer, MomsRising.org; Steering Committee Member, Communities United for Police Reform
Alvin Bragg, Visiting Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Racial Justice Project, New York Law School; former Chief Deputy Attorney General, New York State Office of the Attorney General
Andrew G. Celli Jr., Founding Partner, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP
Jonathan Darche, Executive Director, New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board
Christopher Dunn, Legal Director, New York Civil Liberties Union

*Julian Clark at “Policing the Police: Enforcing Transparency and Accountability” panel*

The panelists touched on a variety of topics ranging from the wide-ranging lack of front-end accountability in policing today to the recent and ongoing efforts in New York to repeal Civil Rights Law 50-a to allow for the public disclosure of police records relating to police misconduct.

Much of the discussion was particularly relevant for Julian’s work at the Policing Project, including an ongoing collaboration with the Michigan Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration, a group of law enforcement and other stakeholders who are working to develop creative policies to lower Michigan’s incarceration rate. Julian is also working on the Policing Project’s Beyond the Conversation project, including developing guides that will help law enforcement agencies better involve community members in strategic planning and collaborative problem-solving.

The Policing Project is grateful to Professor Bragg and NYLS for hosting this important and timely event.