Center for Policing Equity President Named Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year

September 23 2019

Phillip Atiba Goff, Co-founder and CEO of Center for Policing Equity and Franklin A. Thomas Professor in Policing Equity at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, was honored today as a 2019 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year. Dr. Goff is among 40 Social Innovators awarded this year. He was recognized for his work with Center for Policing Equity (CPE) which serves as a bridge between police departments and communities to reduce burdensome and disparate policing.

CPE works directly with law enforcement to measure behaviors, resulting in the largest standardized dataset of police behavior in the world. Police departments that have engaged with CPE and measured changes over time have seen a 25% decrease in police stops, a 26% decrease in use of force, and a 13% decrease in officer injuries. CPE is developing a tool called COMPSTAT for Justice that aims to bring those results to scale and provide a way for police departments to pursue justice with tools similar to the ones they use to pursue crime. 

“There is an international hunger to address the worst parts of law enforcement and its collateral consequences. But the problem feels unsolvable because – until recently – we lacked data and a way to measure justice,” said Goff. “I am honored to be recognized among this impressive community of social entrepreneurs.”

Dr. Goff joins a global network of over 350 social entrepreneurs from more than 70 countries worldwide who have been awarded for their innovative approaches and potential for impact in solving global social issues. 

The Schwab Foundation community is an impact-driven community that focuses on global goals and local impact. The members work in various, often cross-cutting sectors, including health, education, rural and urban development and gender equality – hence often directly contributing to the achievement of Agenda 2030, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

"There’s a growing recognition that social innovation has diffused into every sector and institution, and the presence of pioneering agents of change re-inventing the way our institutions operate is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” said Dr. Francois Bonnici, Head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.  “The 2019 Schwab Foundation Awardees represent a new ecosystem of leaders who are driving change and shifting organizations and systems towards a more just, inclusive, sustainable future.”

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was founded in 1998 by Hilde and Klaus Schwab. Known as the sister organization of the World Economic Forum, the Schwab Foundation is a leading global platform that accelerates outstanding models of social innovation.

Schwab Foundation Awardees are fully integrated into the meetings, initiatives and projects of the World Economic Forum. They benefit from peer-to-peer exchange with each other and meaningfully contribute their expertise to shape global, regional and industry agendas in close collaboration with other stakeholders of the World Economic Forum.