Panelists

The National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information invite you to a conversation about police transparency reforms. Our organizations have called for more public oversight and transparency among the nation's law enforcement agencies starting with opening every aspect of the police misconduct oversight process to public scrutiny. More public oversight leads to better policing, which leads to better public safety and stronger communities. 

 
Presenters in this conversation:
 
ModeratorValerie Lemmie, Director of Exploratory Research, Kettering Foundation and Chair of the NFOIC DEI Committee  (local govt/public engagement) - A public engagement specialist, Valerie is a former city manager in Petersburg (VA), Dayton and Cincinnati (OH) where she created the city's citizens police review board.

Honorable Leslie Herod, Colorado State Representative (D-Denver) (state government) - Rep Herod chairs the legal services and finance committees and is vice chair of the judiciary committee. An advocate of police reforms, Rep Herod was a sponsor of the new police reform law passed by the state legislature this month.  

Susan Hutson, President, National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (the role of residents) Susan leads a national organization whose members are local citizen police review boards)Susan Hutson became the Independent Police Monitor in New Orleans in June 2010. She has also worked at the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Office of the Inspector General as an Assistant Inspector General.

Frank LoMonte, Director, Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, University of Florida (legal issues/challenges) - Frank became the director of the Brechner Center in 2017. He is the former director of the Student Press Law Center in D.C. where he launched a number of major programming initiatives, including the “New Voices” initiative that has resulted in enactment of fortified legal protections for student journalists in 13 states.

Nabiha Syed, President of The MarkUp, (investigative and data journalism) Nabiha oversees the independent newsroom The Markup’s strategy, growth plans and business operations. Before joining The Markup, Nabiha was vice president and associate general counsel at BuzzFeed, where she counseled on newsgathering, libel, and privacy matters worldwide.