Tracie Keesee

Dr. Tracie L. Keesee is a retired 25-year veteran of the Denver Police Department and former Deputy Commissioner of the New York Police Department. Dr. Keesee works to improve equity within law enforcement agencies and the vulnerable communities they serve. To do this, she works closely with communities to ensure their voices are centered in the co-production and redesigning of public safety systems. She also uses data-driven and evidence-based interventions to help law enforcement agencies receive the resources needed to create more equitable outcomes and reduce harm.

Dr. Keesee served as Project Director of the Department of Justice-funded National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice Initiative and is the Co-Founder of the Center for Policing Equity (CPE). This research center provides decision makers with data, stories, and relationships to facilitate bold, innovative and lasting change. Dr. Keesee took a sabbatical from CPE in 2016 to serve the New York Police Department in several roles; first, as the Deputy Commissioner of Training for Commissioner William J. Bratton, directing the implementation of transformative initiatives, including restructuring the recruitment curriculum.

Subsequently, Dr. Keesee served as the first Deputy Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion for Commissioner O'Neill. In this role she was responsible for the overall organizational development and implementation of NYPD's Equity and Inclusion strategic framework. She advised the Police Commissioner on implementing accountability systems that monitor training, recruitment, employee opportunities and complaints to help increase the organization's ability to attract and retain an inclusive and diverse workforce. Dr. Keesee returned to CPE in 2018 as the president until accepting a full-time associate professor position with the University of Virginia School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

In 2021, Dr. Keesee was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council President to serve as a member of an expert mechanism tasked with advancing racial justice and equity for Africans and people of African descent in the context of law enforcement around the world.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Metropolitan State College-Denver, academic certifications in Public Policy and Public Administration and a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Colorado at Denver; a Ph.D. in Intercultural Communications from the University of Denver, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University. Dr. Keesee is also a graduate of the 203rd Session of the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia. She has published numerous articles across various collected anthologies and peer-reviewed scientific journals.