CPE’s Elected Leaders Council publication highlights key themes on the success and challenges elected leaders have experienced in implementing community-centered strategies that focus on a public health and social support response.
New Haven, CT — In an ongoing effort to support equitable and community-centered public safety redesign, the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) today published a new resource, Spring 2025 Elected Leaders Council: Reflections on Advancing Community-Centered Public Safety. This comprehensive resource is a summary of CPE’s work with the Spring 2025 cohort of its Elected Leaders Council (ELC), a space for elected leaders to learn from each other and build capacity for community-centered strategies.
“Communities have been calling for bold, community-rooted solutions to public safety, and elected leaders are answering that call,” said Ileana Mendoza, CPE’s Senior Coordinator of Community Engagement. “We’re encouraged to see policymakers stepping into this moment with a commitment to building alternative public safety infrastructures that reflect the needs, wisdom, and leadership of those most impacted by underinvestment, discrimination, and failed public systems.”
Part of CPE’s broader Unlocking Democracy initiative, the ELC listening sessions explored the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned by elected officials championing equitable safety strategies in collaboration with local communities. Promising practices emerged from this work, including:
- Thoughtful decision-making about which government or community entities should house community safety programs to ensure proper alignment and support.
- Cross-agency collaboration is intended to streamline operations and maximize community resources.
- Strategic messaging and communication is intended to build trust and public understanding of community safety programs that serve as an alternative to traditional law enforcement’s first response.
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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.