Harvard Executive Session on Policing and Public Safety

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Law enforcement has changed since Sept. 11. To understand how policing will change in the future, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government are collaborating on the second "Executive Session on Policing and Public Safety."

The first Executive Session on Policing took place in the 1980s and helped to create the idea of community policing, which changed the face of law enforcement. The papers from that session have become a foundation for police executive training across the nation.

The second Executive Session on Policing and Public Safety will examine:

• How police can manage the challenges of the coming years, including community relations, terrorism and the rising costs of public policing.
• New challenges and opportunities made possible by fast-changing technologies. 
• The impact of the growing internationalization of crime.

The first gathering of the members of the Executive Session occurred in January 2008 at Harvard University. Meetings will continue to take place every six months for the next three years. Attendance is by invitation.

At each three-day session, participants discuss policing policies and examine research that can help determine the issues and potential solutions that will help them in the ever-changing policing environment.

Likely discussion topics include:

• Police-community relations and the legitimacy of law enforcement in minority communities.
• The federal role in policing. 
• The impact of international crime and terrorism.
• The changing face of technology.
• The effects of mass incarceration on relationships between police and their communities. 
• The role of detectives, forensic scientists and other police professionals.
• The media's role in driving police action and focus.
• Professional development of police officers and leaders.