Public Safety & Policing
The 2019 Public Safety Summit
Sustaining Transformation
When & Where
April 12-14, 2019
Harvard University | Cambridge, MA

About the Summit

Overview

Around the globe, progressive public safety leaders are moving the needle on innovation – they’re designing new policing services, building new digital operating models, and fostering new organizational cultures. Yet amidst all the innovation and change one element is imperative: Solid results require leaders to sustain transformation.

Yet sustaining transformation is easier said than done. Starting an innovation and change initiative is one thing. Moving the initiative sustainably over the finish line is another. Sustaining transformation requires aligning stakeholder vision, scaling new ways of working, and moving people to a new future. What sets apart transformative leaders is their ability to deftly pull all the pieces together and deliver results.

To help public safety leaders meet the challenge of sustaining transformation, Leadership for a Networked World and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, in collaboration with Mark43, are convening The 2019 Public Safety Summit: Sustaining Transformation to be held April 12 – 14 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

At the Summit, participants will learn about and share best practices on leading and sustaining transformation within a rapidly changing environment as well as pacing the the level of change effectively. In particular, the Summit will help leaders grappling with tough questions, from vantage points including

  • Leadership: How can public safety leaders establish a sense of urgency, cultivate relationships across an ecosystem of partners, and navigate the political environment to sustain top initiatives?
  • Human Capital: How can public safety leaders empower people and teams to accelerate innovation initiatives, operate effectively in the midst of great change, and sustain transformation efforts?
  • Strategy: What changes to organizational design – including structures, systems, processes, and overall operations – will enable uptake of innovation as well as help institutionalize positive innovations?
  • Technology: How can we leverage digital innovations – such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, network-enabled platforms, and robust data and analytics – in order to accelerate innovation and transformation?

This fifth annual Summit will bring together innovative and progressive public safety and justice leaders along with leading academics and industry experts to learn and share ideas on how police chiefs, sheriffs, commissioners and other officials can not only start, but also sustain transformational initiatives.

Who Should Attend?

Summit participants are senior-level public safety executives (Chief, Commissioner, Superintendent, Sheriff, etc.) in function, as well as “Chief Transformation Officers” in practice, who seek to improve organizational performance in the near term and redesign public safety for the long term.

Admission & Participation

The Summit is an invitation-only program for senior-most officials in public safety. Other applicants will be reviewed and accepted on a case-by-case basis, and according in part, to space availability. This event is supported by the hosting and collaborating organizations, so there is no tuition or fee to attend. Travel and hotel arrangements, and related expenses, are the responsibility of individual participants.

The Executive Leadership Group

Art Acevedo
Chief of Police
Houston Police Department
Medaria Arradondo
Chief
Minneapolis Police Department
Carmen Best
Chief of Police
Seattle Police Department
Brandon Del Pozo
Chief of Police
Burlington Police Department
Drew Harris
Commissioner
An Garda Siochana
Jonathan Lewin
Chief
Chicago Police Department Bureau of Technical Services
Peter Newsham
Chief of Police
Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia
Kathleen O'Toole
Chair
Executive Leadership Group; Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland
Cornelia Sigworth
Associate Deputy Director
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Scott Thomson
Chief of Police
Camden County Police Department
Chuck Wexler
Executive Director
Police Executive Research Forum
Jeri Williams
Police Chief
Phoenix Police Department

Previous Reports

Leadership in Turbulent Times: A Report from 2018 Public Safety Summit

Go to Report

As the pace and power of social, political, and technological change accelerate in the world, citizens and stakeholders expect everything to happen faster – including the transformation of public safety and policing organizations.

This pace of change also creates a turbulent environment in which policing leaders have to manage the “political economy” surrounding them – including the competing demands of stakeholder groups, the need for delivering innovative new policing models, and the mandate to improve public trust and safety.

At The 2018 Public Safety Summit: Leadership in Turbulent Times, convened by Leadership for a Networked World and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard in collaboration with Mark43, public safety leaders showed how they have been able to improve operationally, learn valuable lessons about their communities, and begin to chart a pathway forward for modern policing.

The Dynamics of Culture and Capacity: A Report from 2017 Public Safety Summit

Go to Report

Amidst a turbulent environment, innovative public safety leaders are moving forward to achieve dramatic new levels of capacity and public value. Right now, for example, visionary police chiefs are redesigning use-of-force policy and training to improve crime response and build community trust. Cutting-edge public safety organizations are using social networks, data, and analytics to understand crime patterns and respond proactively to community needs. And inventive policing leaders are collaborating across agencies, jurisdictions, and sectors to co-create solutions to community challenges.

Yet for even the savviest leaders, often the most challenging roadblock on their transformation journey is organizational resistance to change. How do leaders in public safety address this challenge? Skillful leaders realize that driving innovation and change requires not only redesigning organizational structures, systems, processes, and human capital, but also harmonizing organizational culture with new ways of working, collaborating, and producing public value.

To help public safety leaders work through the day's challenging questions, Leadership for a Networked World and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, in partnership with Mark43, convened The 2017 Public Safety Summit: The Dynamics of Culture and Capacity from April 21 – 23 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This third annual Summit brought together innovative public safety, justice, and human services leaders, along with leading academics and industry experts, to learn and share ideas on how police chiefs, sheriffs, commissioners, and other officials can not only respond to broadening responsibilities more efficiently and effectively, but also transform their organizations, partnerships, operating models, and cultures to deliver improved policing outcomes and legitimacy.

Growing Capacity and Legitimacy: A Report from 2016 Public Safety Summit

Go to Report

For public safety leaders around the world, one thing is clear: while the basic mandate of maintaining law and order remains the same, the environment in which this mandate must be delivered is changing dynamically. Fueling this turbulent environment are powerful changes in public sentiment, demographics and social issues, pervasive and invasive technologies, and complex threats to community safety.

What’s imperative now is that public safety leaders gain an understanding of how to create newfound capacity for the future, outcomes and value that communities want, and the legitimacy that society demands.

To help public safety leaders address these questions and develop a vision for the future of public safety, Leadership for a Networked World and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, in collaboration with Accenture, convened The 2015 Public Safety Summit: Leadership for a New Era at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Leadership for a New Era: A Report from 2015 Public Safety Summit

Go to Report

For public safety leaders around the world, one thing is clear: while the basic mandate of maintaining law and order remains the same, the environment in which this mandate must be delivered is changing dynamically. Fueling this turbulent environment are powerful changes in public sentiment, demographics and social issues, pervasive and invasive technologies, and complex threats to community safety.

What’s imperative now is that public safety leaders gain an understanding of how to create newfound capacity for the future, outcomes and value that communities want, and the legitimacy that society demands.

To help public safety leaders address these questions and develop a vision for the future of public safety, Leadership for a Networked World and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, in collaboration with Accenture, convened The 2015 Public Safety Summit: Leadership for a New Era at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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