Most Cops Involved in High-Profile Killings Since 2014 Kept Their Police Licenses

September 16 2023

CPE co-founder and President Dr. Tracie Keesee spoke to The Intercept as they completed their investigation into repercussions faced by law enforcement officials involved in high-profile death incidents. The following is an excerpt from the article: "Out of 54 officers involved in 14 high-profile killings that spurred Black Lives Matter protests in the last nine years, only 10 had their certifications or licenses revoked as a matter of disciplinary action, according to The Intercept’s analysis of certification documents obtained through public records requests."

According to The Intercept:

Police departments’ discretion over initiating decertification processes is another reason the numbers are low, said Tracie L. Keesee, a former Denver police captain and co-founder of the Center for Policing Equity. “That goes to tell you about systems, right?” she said. “It’s not just about systems by themselves, but it’s about who’s in the systems that are doing the investigations and that are making the determinations.”

Read the complete publication on The Intercept's website.