Today, the University of California announced that 21st Century Policing Solutions (21CP) will lead the independent investigation of the actions that led to violence on the UCLA campus last week. 21CP is a nationally recognized consultant known for expertise in policing reform, content-neutral policing of demonstrations, and helping higher education institutions enhance community safety.
President Michael V. Drake, M.D., ordered the investigation last week to resolve unanswered questions about UCLA’s planning and protocols, as well as the mutual aid response.
The firm is led by national experts on policing and civil rights, including Charles H. Ramsey, former Police Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, former chief of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department, and former co-chair of President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
Higher education institutions that have hired 21CP to advise on their public safety services include Harvard University, the University of Oregon, and the University of Michigan. The 21CP team conducting our investigation will include (all bios available here):
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Charles H. Ramsey, former Police Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, former chief of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department, and former co-chair of President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing;
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Sean M. Smoot, Managing Partner of 21CP Solutions and a member of the Baltimore and Cleveland Police Departments federal consent decree monitoring teams;
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Matthew Barge, a police practices and civil rights expert who is part of the federal monitoring team overseeing the consent decree involving the Baltimore Police Department;
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Nola Joyce, former Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department and former Chief Administrative Officer at the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department;
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Terry Gainer, former Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police and the 38th U.S. Senate Sergeant-At-Arms;
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Emily Gunston, former Deputy Chief of the Special Litigation Unit at the United States Department of Justice;
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Jim Whalen, former Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police at the University of Cincinnati; and
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Christine Cole, a subject matter expert in public safety, improving police performance, and community engagement.
“Our campuses must be places where our community members can safely engage in the University of California’s mission of teaching, research, and public service,” said Drake. “This independent review will provide us with more information to shore up our ability to protect our community members and their rights while keeping them safe from harm. The Regents and I look forward to the findings.”