Event Description
This symposium will explore some of the ways in which racial hierarchies and subordination are present in American policing. Since the early 1970s, some law enforcement scholars, politicians and reformists have presupposed that increasing the number of Black officers on the force could be an important tool to improving relations between police departments and communities of color. The national conversation around the myriad of continued problems in policing during the Racial Reckoning of 2020 revealed continued instances of racial discrimination endured by Black police officers inside and outside of their departments. While affinity law enforcement associations began in an effort to support and empower officers from underrepresented racial groups, those groups often lack collective bargaining rights or mechanisms by which to support the interests of their members.
Symposium presenters will explore the historical role of racism in American policing, Indian policing, disparate officer discipline outcomes, the intersection of use of force and race, the impact of arbitration on police reform, how gender impacts the rate of reported crimes, potential solutions for a transformational path forward, and other related topics.
Tentative Agenda
8:30 a.m. Sign-in, Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
9:15 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Panel One: Police-Community Relations: What, if any, impact does a more diverse police force have?
Break
10:45 a.m.–Noon Panel Two: Discipline Outcomes: Are Black and Brown officers subjected to harsher discipline?
Noon-1:30 p.m. Lunch Break and Keynote Speaker: Ms. Cariol Horne – Former Buffalo Police Officer, Civil Rights Activist
1:30-2:45 p.m. Panel Three: Use of Force and Officer Demographics: What do we know about race and gender of an officer impacts use of force?
Break
3:00 p.m.–4:15 p.m. Panel Four: Immigration Enforcement and Local Police Departments
4:15 p.m. Closing
Speaker Bio:
Cariol Horne served Buffalo, New York, as a police officer for 20 years before being fired for stopping a fellow police officer from choking a handcuffed African-American man during an arrest. During this encounter, Ms. Horne was physically assaulted by her fellow officer, which had a physical and psychological impact. Ms. Horne speaks on how PTSD has interrupted her life since this incident and how speaking out has impacted her livelihood. Although the officer that physically assaulted her is serving time in prison due to another physical altercation, he will receive his pension when he is released, while she will not.
After being fired, Ms. Horne has become an outspoken advocate for stopping police brutality and encouraging other officers to speak out against injustice and police brutality. She remains a trailblazer for justice and a solace for those who have been victims of police brutality. Her story sparked Cariol's Law, the duty-to-Intervene law, which passed in Buffalo in 2020. Listen to Ms. Horne’s narrative as it poses the question, What happens when Black Lives Matter meets Blue Lives Matter?
CLE Reading Materials
Note: Increasing COVID-19 cases within Northeast Ohio have prompted Case Western Reserve to resume its requirement that masks be worn indoors until further notice. In addition, only those who are fully vaccinated (two weeks past their final dose) should attend any campus event. Leaders continue to monitor pandemic developments and may need to adjust health protocols further as circumstances warrant. In-person is subject to change based on COVID-19 guidelines.
