Harvard selects Palo Alto chief for study

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Feb 7, 2008 | by Banks Albach

EAST PALO ALTO -- Police Chief Ron Davis is joining the top brass of the Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and San Diego police departments in a three-year Harvard University study that will explore the future of policing.

Davis and 15 other police executives were selected from among 20,000 law enforcement agencies by a six-person committee in Harvard's Criminal Justice Policy and Management program. They'll join 12 academics in Harvard twice a year on weekends to discuss several topics ranging from anti-gang initiatives to more thorough public outreach, program director Christine Cole said.

The department plans to release several publications over the three-year study, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. All expenses are covered by the university, Cole said.

Davis was chosen because of his strong reputation in the law enforcement community, Cole said. She said Davis has been innovative in several areas, including forging partnerships with community groups and outside law enforcement organizations, as well as in reorganizing his department's command structure.

"His name bubbled to the top because of the work he's done," Cole said. "Several of us identified him. He's a great thinker."

Davis said his participation in the study presents a good opportunity for East Palo Alto. The community, city government and police department have been recognized for successes in fighting crime, he said, and the study could help East Palo Alto build programs.

"These relationships are how we get future funding and grants," he said. "It's also an acknowledgment that we have something to offer."

Cole said the Executive Sessions on Police program has been running since the 1980s. It has helped develop techniques, including community policing. which emphasizes tactics such as providing for resident participation, targeting crime hot spots, removing graffiti and cleaning up blight.

E-mail Banks Albach at balbach@dailynewsgroup.com.