Events

Together with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Law Enforcement Museum is holding a special event on Feb. 25 at 2:00pm EST that seeks to uncover ways to support black law enforcement officers and encourage new recruits to join the force and protect our communities. This panel discussion will examine the potential “double backlash” facing Black police officers and pathways to changing the culture inside agencies that could result in a more positive perception of the law enforcement community.

Does the Black community support Black law enforcement? Should agencies and departments work toward recruiting officers that better reflect the communities they serve? What impact could this have on preventing crime and building trust between law enforcement and the community?

These questions and more will be answered by our panelists in a two-part live virtual discussion focusing on the varied perspectives within law enforcement and the community.

Welcome:

• President Lynda R. Williams, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)

Moderator:

• Dr. Lorenzo Boyd, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer
  University of New Haven

Panelists:

• Sheriff Marian Brown, Dallas County (TX) Sheriff’s Department
• Chief Ernest Finley, Montgomery (AL) Police Department
• Chief Jeffrey Glover, Tempe (AZ) Police Department
• Sheriff Melody Maddox, Dekalb County (GA) Sheriff’s Office
• Shomari Williams, Managing Partner, Verizon

Registration is free.

Sponsored by

Welcome

Lynda R. Williams

President
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)

Lynda R. Williams, President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), is currently the Professor of the Practice at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the Department of Criminal Justice Administration; with her appointment at MTSU in 2017, she became the first person with this title in recognition of her expertise in criminal justice and executive security.

In her role there, Ms. Williams’ curriculum includes foreign/domestic terrorism studies, criminal justice processes, community and public service engagement, and executive law enforcement leadership speaker symposiums. Prior to joining the faculty of MTSU, Ms. Williams led an accomplished career as a veteran of the United States Secret Service, from 1988 until she retired as the Deputy Assistant Director in 2017.

As President of NOBLE, Ms. Williams is focused on achieving the organization’s goals through a three- pillar platform on police reform, gun violence, and voter engagement.

Moderator

Dr. Lorenzo Boyd

Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer
University of New Haven

Dr. Lorenzo M. Boyd is a nationally recognized expert in police-community relations and an authority on urban policing. Dr. Boyd also serves as the Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion and former Director of the Center for Advanced Policing at the University of New Haven. His 14-year service as a deputy sheriff in Boston informs his 20-year career in higher education. He effectively translates research and theory into practice, making him a sought-after consultant, trainer, and speaker for departments and communities across the country.

Dr. Boyd conducts professional development training with a central focus on building levels of empathy, lived experience, and cultural competence among police personnel. He works with police leaders around the country to determine training needs and develops interactive professional development sessions that include real-life scenarios and role play.

Panelists

Sheriff Marian Brown
Dallas County (TX) Sheriff’s Department

Sheriff Brown began her law enforcement career in 1988 with the Duncanville (TX) Police Department as a pioneer, being the first African American female police officer. She rose quickly within the ranks from a patrol officer. Her experience includes serving as a first line supervisor, formulating and supervising the Community Oriented Policing Unit, and positions including Crime Prevention/Community Relations Supervisor, Patrol Watch Commander, Criminal Investigations Commander, and Assistant Chief of Police.

Sheriff Brown holds a Master Peace Officer Certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, is a graduate of the International Law Enforcement Institute’s Command College as well as the FBI National Academy Associates’ Command College, and has received training in Special Investigative Topics, Crime Prevention, Hostage Negotiation, and holds an Instructor Certification.

Sheriff Brown takes pride in using her experience to educate the community and promote partnerships that foster genuine, positive relationships between police and the community.

Chief Ernest Finley
Montgomery (AL) Police Department

Chief Ernest N. Finley, Jr. knew as a child that policing would become his life’s work. He joined the Atlanta Police Department in 1986 after serving in the U.S. Army and completing his college career at Rutgers University. His years with APD introduced him to neighborhood policing, narcotics, sex crimes, the Red Dog Drug Unit and Community Policing.

As he moved up the ranks at APD, he was promoted to Sergeant in 1993, Lieutenant in 1998, Major in 2003 and Deputy Chief in 2010. As Deputy Chief he served as the Field Operation Division Commander and directed the largest division in the police department. In 2013, he commanded the Community Service Division in preparing and implementing long-term and short-term strategies for four sections of APD’s overall responsibility. Chief Finley was appointed the 13th Chief of Police of Montgomery, Alabama on December 14, 2014.

Chief Jeffrey Glover
Tempe (AZ) Police Department

Interim Chief Jeffrey D. Glover began his career with the Tempe Police Department in October of 1999 and has over 20 years of law enforcement experience. He has steadily worked his way through the ranks, serving the department in a variety of capacities. He has worked as a Field Training Officer providing recruits with mentorship and insight into the department, a Narcotics Detective, Crime Prevention Detective, Media Relations Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant, Detention Manager, Acting Commander over 21st Century Policing and served the department as Commander over the Criminal and Special Investigations Division to include Homicide, Narcotics and SWAT Team prior to his retirement from the Department in February 2020. On October 12, 2020, returned to the Tempe Police Department as Interim Chief of Police.

From this rich work experience, Chief Glover has provided diversity training and firsthand knowledge of the African American perspective on community policing. He has emphasized promoting community involvement and education; and provides instruction on various topics including leadership, ethics and professionalism, team dynamics, Fair and Impartial Policing, cultural awareness and diversity.

Sheriff Melody Maddox
Dekalb County (GA) Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff Melody M. Maddox is the 50th Sheriff of DeKalb County (GA) and makes history as being the first woman to hold the office. As a 28-year law enforcement veteran, Sheriff Maddox began her career with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, going on to serve with both the City of Atlanta and the DeKalb County Police Departments. In 2008, she created the public safety office for the DeKalb Technical College, now Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC), first serving as Assistant Chief of Police and, subsequently, becoming the college’s first female Chief of Police. She left in 2013 to pursue election as DeKalb County Sheriff in 2014.

Early in 2019, Sheriff Maddox returned to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office as Chief of Administration. On July 1, 2019, then Sheriff Jeffery Mann appointed her Chief Deputy – the highest-ranking non-elected position in the agency. She was responsible for the planning and administration of the jail, courts, and field and training operations. Sheriff Maddox is P.O.S.T. (Peace Officer Standard Training) certified and is certified as a defensive tactics instructor and received a certificate in hostage negotiation.

Sheriff Maddox is the recipient of numerous community awards and has been recognized for her exemplary community service on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), and in The Ivy Leaf, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. national magazine, local television and radio outlets, as well as being the cover story of numerous magazines and newspapers. In 2019, Women Looking Ahead newsmagazine named her as one of Georgia’s Most Powerful and Influential Law Enforcement Officials.

Shomari Williams
Managing Partner
Verizon

Mr. Williams is a highly skilled visionary leader with over 20 years of experience as a coalition builder within the Public Sector segment. He has been known for exceptional team building & development, contract negotiations, wireless & wireline cross-team collaboration, customer service & retention, project management and community relations.