Unlocking Democracy is a community empowerment program and the central hub for CPE’s community-centered resources, initiatives, and interactive working groups. This program is designed to empower stakeholders seeking to build more equitable public safety systems.
This work is conducted through collaborative partnerships with values-aligned organizations and government officials that share CPE’s goal to uplift the efforts of Black and other historically marginalized communities in confronting racial disparities in policing.
Unlocking Democracy is a suite of community-centered resources rooted in the understanding that government should be of, by, and for the people as it rests on a foundation of shared responsibility, mutual trust, and bedrock safety. The program includes various learning communities, adaptive community resource hubs, and more.
Learning Communities
Communities are already exploring ways to redesign public safety, however, much of the dialogue, policy, and practice around these models is fairly new. In response, CPE and The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center are hosting a joint series of Learning Communities for Policing Alternatives.
These virtual learning communities assist interdisciplinary teams seeking to implement, sustain, and evaluate policing alternatives, including College Campus Community Response, Community Response & Crisis Systems, Community Violence Intervention, and Youth Behavioral Diversion.
Elected Leaders Council
Launched in partnership with the CSG Justice Center, CPE's Elected Leaders Council is a peer-to-peer learning community for elected officials nationwide who are dedicated to spearheading innovative efforts to take actionable steps toward true public safety reform.
The Elected Leaders Council brings together elected officials and staff members seeking to implement new approaches to public safety, including Consent Search Reform, Ending Low-Level Traffic Stops, Non-Police Traffic Enforcement, and Police Stop Data Transparency.