CPE Blog

Welcome to the CPE blog, where we share insights to educate, inform, and inspire those who are answering the call to fight bias and take bold action towards establishing equitable public safety systems.

March 14 2024

Unlocking Change: Harnessing Evaluation for Social Justice Innovations

CPE’s most recent white paper proposes pathways for overcoming the challenges of scaling innovation in the nonprofit sector.

December 20 2023

Putting an End to Senseless Violence on Black Bodies

The time for change has been, and always is, now. Will you join us?

November 16 2023

Why Your Support Matters

GivingTuesday is a great opportunity to invest just a little more in making policing less racist, deadly, and omnipresent in Black communities.

November 07 2023

Celebrating 15 Years of Reducing Harm and Redesigning Public Safety

As we turn 15, we’re taking stock of who we are and reflecting on where we’ve been, how we’ve grown, and what we’re looking forward to.

November 02 2023

A Progress Report on Redesigning Public Safety in St. Louis

The ongoing work in St. Louis to co-create and implement evidence-based public safety solutions reflects community-led redesign efforts that could serve as a model for cities nationwide.

October 19 2023

Can Science Be Driven by Values?

Whether scientific research is advanced is often a political question. That’s why values guide our work.

October 05 2023

Beyoncé, the Renaissance World Tour, and the Principles of Public Safety

Beyoncé reminded us at every stop of her tour that public safety is about so much more than simply the absence of crime. It's about being able to be our free and liberated selves, without fear.

September 28 2023

CPE Goes to LASD West Hollywood to Deliver Their Justice Navigator Assessment

In our first in-person rollout event, we shared findings on racial disparities in LASD West Hollywood’s policing with their local officers, elected leaders, and community members. 

September 21 2023

Do We Need Police in Schools? Creating Safety for All Students

Our most recent webinar brings together activists and scholars to discuss the benefits of reducing the footprint of police in schools.

September 14 2023

Historic NYPD Settlement Echos CPE’s Long Standing Recommendations on Crowd Management

In a landmark case, the NYPD is set to make major changes to how it manages crowds and protests, a shift that echos recommendations we at CPE have held for years.

September 07 2023

Black People are Under Siege

August was a bad month for Black people in the United States, each new development part and parcel of the systems designed, defended, and maintained to serve the demands of White supremacy.

August 24 2023

Children Deserve Compassion, Not Arrest

Children who misbehave—and children who are victims—should not be punished as dangerous predators headed for a life of crime. They deserve to be safe at school and in the community.

August 07 2023

Don't Be Distracted: The "Soft on Crime" Narrative is a Racist Dog Whistle

The resurgence of the “soft on crime” narrative in 2024 political campaigns reflects the country's long-held ideas about public safety: Black people are the threat, and White people are the public deserving of safety. 

May 18 2023

Second Chances for Dangerous Police Officers are Not Worth the Risks

Allowing police officers with histories of reckless, violent, or racist misconduct to remain in law enforcement makes communities less safe. So why do they get so many chances?

May 04 2023

Care Not Punishment: Redesigning Mental Health Emergency Response

Our webinar on mental health breaks down the “how-to” of creating mental health emergency response alternatives and the data behind such programs’ current success.

April 20 2023

Whose History?

Efforts to excise Black contributions to U.S. history from our education, social discourse, and politics serve no purpose but to further the political careers of those seeking to privilege White supremacy.

April 06 2023

The Names We Never Hear

At the rate that police kill people in this country, we can only name the barest minimum of the victims.

March 09 2023

Communities Are Ready to Make Meaningful Changes in How Traffic Rules and Regulations Are Enforced

A survey conducted in late 2022 by Safer Cities Research provides strong evidence that voters are ready for change and understand the cost if we fail to make those changes.

February 23 2023

To Protect and Serve—and Be Held Accountable

Law enforcement officers kill more than 1,000 people in this country every year. If we want to change that, we have to build systems of genuine accountability.

February 02 2023

When "Public Safety" Is Public Endangerment: Tyre Nichols, Traffic Stops, and Racialized Terror

The brutal killing of Tyre Nichols at a traffic stop comes against a history of similar police violence, rooted in centuries of racialized terror. Fewer badges and guns in traffic enforcement will save lives.

January 19 2023

The Adultification of Black Children

Black children in the United States are routinely held to adult standards. The impact has been devastating for generations of Black communities.

January 05 2023

Roe Wasn't The Only Thing SCOTUS Overturned Last Year

2022 was a disastrous year for civil rights in the U.S. The gutting of Miranda rights went largely unnoticed in the uproar around the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, but both presage continued erosion of vital protections.

December 22 2022

Law Enforcement and the White Supremacists Within

Black, Brown, and Indigenous people have long warned of the entanglement between White supremacist groups and law enforcement agencies. The Jan 6 Committee Final Report underscores the threat to public safety. It’s past time to act.

December 15 2022

Redesigning Public Safety on the Roads

Traffic stops are among the most common interactions people have with police but enforcement is persistently discriminatory. Our recent White Paper offers strategies for building road safety systems that are just, equitable, and safe.

December 12 2022

The Root Cause of Violent Crime Is Not What We Think It Is

In a Guest Essay in The New York Times, CPE Co-founder and CEO Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff argues that “tough-on-crime” policies don't keep people safe—but building strong communities does. And voters know it.

December 08 2022

The Fiction of a Good Guy with a Gun

The idea that only “good guys with guns” can stop gun violence has always been fiction. In the wake of the horrific Club Q shooting, CPE’s Max Markham exposes the myth for what it is—and offers real public safety solutions.

November 18 2022

St. Louis Redesigns Public Safety

Community members in St. Louis have worked for years to redesign their public safety systems; CPE was proud to partner with stakeholders to study those systems and offer science-based recommendations for change.

November 15 2022

Not a Goal Met, But A Vital First Step

CPE’s Hans Menos writes that a recent audit of the Philadelphia Police Department validates what Black and Brown residents have said for years: the city’s public safety system is fundamentally inequitable and their communities do not feel safe.