Center for Policing Equity and Norfolk Police Department Announce Partnership

July 13 2021

Today, the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) and Norfolk Police Department (NPD) announced a partnership to reduce, with the goal to eliminate, racially disparate policing and produce public safety worthy of community trust. 

With Dr. Chip Filer, Norfolk City Manager, and Chief Larry D. Boone making the bold decision to engage in this important work, this is the first step of what both organizations hope will be a long term, multi-year partnership leading to NPD’s inaugural enrollment in CPE’s COMPSTAT for Justice program, a multi-pronged, science-driven program to improve policing outcomes. 

As part of this partnership, CPE will examine a wide variety of data provided by NPD and share its analyses with NPD, along with general recommendations on how NPD can improve its policing to decrease racial disparities and inequities. These findings will be made public to the Norfolk community, and community members will be invited to engage throughout the partnership to share their experiences with the department.

“This partnership is a testament to the Norfolk Police Department's commitment to reduce harm and build lasting systems that best serve the Norfolk community,” said Tracie L. Keesee, Senior Vice President of Justice Initiatives and Co-​Founder of CPE.  “With these first steps and looking towards a long-term relationship with CPE, the NPD and Chief Boone have gratefully acknowledged the need to center community in the necessary work of redesigning public safety for the Norfolk community, and we look forward to supporting them to develop this lasting change.”

“We owe it to our community to undertake a rigorous analysis of our policing practices and identify opportunities to create actionable policy improvements. I appreciate City Council’s support and Chief Boone’s commitment to the multi-year COMPSTAT for Justice initiative. As the first city in the country to participate in C4J, I believe the process will make us a better organization and the outcomes will help us build trust in the citizens we serve,” said Dr. Chip Filer, Norfolk City Manager.   

NPD’s long-term commitment to redesigning public safety will make it the first department to enroll in COMPSTAT for Justice, which uses real, data-informed strategies to allow departments to achieve effective changes to policing policies and practices.

“This bold move, to be the first police department in the nation to partner with the Center for Policing Equity, speaks volumes to NPD’s efforts in promoting transparency and accountability on behalf of the community we serve. If police are to be of service to communities, they need to build trust with communities that are likely to distrust them. I want to underscore that this partnership will not only highlight the professionalism of Norfolk’s officers but the opportunity to enhance our strategies in response to our citizens’ calls for police reform,” said Larry D. Boone, Chief of Police.

CPE will collect qualitative and quantitative data from NPD to get a well-rounded picture of the department’s practices. Police department data is combined with feedback from community and political stakeholders, a policy review, and other data to develop recommendations for NPD to create lasting change.

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About Center for Policing Equity: As a research and action organization, Center for Policing Equity (CPE) produces analyses identifying and reducing the causes of racial disparities in public safety. Using data-driven approaches to social justice, we use science to create levers for social, cultural, and policy change. Center for Policing Equity also holds a 501(c)3 status.