Duke Law Faculty Discuss Policing in America, Past and Present

Several Duke Law faculty spoke last week about the current state of policing throughout the United States, with an emphasis on how policies and biases impact communities of color.

Dean Kerry Abrams hosted the conversation with Brandon L. Garrett, the L. Neil Williams, Jr. Professor of Law and the Director of the Duke Center for Science and Justice; Lisa Kern Griffin, the Candace M. Carroll and Leonard B. Simon Professor of Law; H. Timothy Lovelace, Jr., Professor and John Hope Franklin Research Scholar; and Darrell A. H. Miller, Melvin G. Shimm Professor of Law and the Co-Director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law. The conversation was moderated by Jesse McCoy, the James Scott Farrin Senior Lecturing Fellow and Supervising Attorney for the Duke Civil Justice Clinic.

They discussed the history of policing in the United States; how political movements have been used to demand reform and how the current moment compares to earlier protests; the role of the law and the legal profession in maintaining the status quo; and how the law can be used to enact reforms.

Watch the video recording of the event below, and access referenced materials here.