New Haven, CT — Today, the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School, in partnership with the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), published The People’s Safety Report, an outline of guidelines, strategies, and recommendations detailing how local and state leaders can use political and legal recourse to protect local control of public safety. Inspired by recent federal actions, this report enables local leaders to prepare for, prevent, and respond to unwarranted federal and military intrusions into local safety matters.
“It is urgent for local leaders to undertake proactive measures to preserve the autonomy of local governance in public safety matters,” said Dr. Phillip Atiba Solomon, Co-founder and CEO of the Center for Policing Equity. “Our hope is that this report can equip leaders with the context, policies, and language needed to keep their communities safe from the violence of federal overreach. We must preserve standards of accountability and transparency, or the rule of law is replaced by selective terrorism.”
“As we have seen in Chicago and Minneapolis, local authorities are not powerless against the federal government’s incursion,” Caroline Nobo, Executive Director of The Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School. “We’ve engaged experts with front-line experience to develop a set of realistic political and legal strategies to help enable local and state officials to prepare for, prevent, and respond to unwarranted federal and military intrusions that threaten local public safety. We hope this will serve as a guide for local leaders across the country seeking to protect communities and the Constitution.”
The report includes specific recommendations for implementing three strategies:
- Reject ‘Secret Police’-style Law Enforcement – Cities, counties, and states should enact legislation and strategies to combat the federal use of enforcement conducted by masked, nondescript individuals.
- Create Public Clarity – Local and state officials should employ strategies to keep communities informed, maintain clear guidance, and protect against abuses perpetrated by intrusive federal deployments.
- Prevent the Erosion of the Rule of Law – Federal deployment of secret police and related efforts undermines well-established public safety standards. Both passive and active cooperation from local and state officials reinforces complicity.
The full publication is available for download on both the Justice Collaboratory and CPE websites.
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The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that uses data science to empower vulnerable communities—particularly Black communities—to partner with leaders on redesigning public safety systems that facilitate bold, innovative, and lasting change.