Specialized Units: How They Can Help and How They Can Hurt

Saturday, October 19, 2024

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET

Location: 204AB

Submitter(s)

Michael David

Social Science Analyst
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Speaker(s)

HC

Hugh Clements

Director
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Colby Dolly

Director
National Policing Institute
Arlington, Virginia, United States
Jessica Scullin

Supervisory Policy Analyst
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Sean Smoot

Managing Partner
21CP Solutions
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Rich Stanek

Sheriff (Ret.)
Hennepin County (MN) Sheriff's Office
Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States

Specialized units can save lives, but without proper management, they can also endanger them. In the wake of the tragic death of Tyre Nichols in 2023—at the hands of officers assigned to a Memphis, Tennessee, Police Department specialized enforcement unit—the U.S. Department of Justice heard from police chiefs across the United States who were assessing their use of specialized units and how to deploy them effectively while remaining accountable to an often-skeptical public. In early 2023, the COPS Office and the National Policing Institute partnered to collect and refine the lessons drawn from these national discussions, and this panel will present their findings and debate the when, the why, and the how of using specialized units for the public safety.