ABA Annual Meeting 2015: Perspectives on Race, Communities, and Policing in Twenty-First Century America

During the last year, public perception about police power has been called into question. On one side of the debate, some African American communities claim they’ve been singled out with abuses of power. On the other side, police departments feel they’ve been unfairly attacked while trying to protect their communities. With constant media coverage, it doesn’t appear that strong opposing opinions will subside anytime soon.

In this episode of Special Reports, producer Laurence Colletti interviews Professor Tracey Meares from Yale Law School, Professor Craig Futterman from the University of Chicago Law School, and Director Sean Smoot from the Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois. Together they discuss decreased crime rates, public perceptions, and the importance of accountability. Tune in to learn more about top stressors for officers as well as the pros and cons with body cams.

Sean Smoot is the Director and Chief Counsel for the Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois as well as the Treasurer of the National Association of Police Organizations. For the last 20 years he’s represented police officers in various forms including legal representation and legislative advocacy. Recently, he represented law enforcement on the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing

Craig Futterman is a clinical law professor at the University of Chicago Law School where he directs a civil rights clinic that focus on issues like police accountability and criminal justice reform.

Tracey Meares is the Walton Hale Hamilton Professor of Law at Yale University where she teaches criminal law and criminal procedure. Her research focuses on building public trust between police and the public. Recently, she served on the President’s task force on 21st Century Policing.

Mentioned in This Episode