Law Enforcement Action Partnership | Advancing Justice and Public Safety Solutions

Law Enforcement: The New Voice of Criminal Justice Reform

LEAP Speakers - all of whom have worked in law enforcement - write, consult, and meet with advocacy groups, legislators, fellow officers,
the media, and the public to craft and support policies that make our communities safer and more just.

LEAP to Testify on Capitol Hill
This Week

Major Neill Franklin (Ret.) will testify Wednesday at the first hearing of the new Congress to address marijuana policy. The SAFE Banking Act would protect marijuana businesses and employees from theft and violence.

Detective Trains Police to Respect Sexual Assault Survivors

LEAP speaker and former Special Victims Unit Detective Justin Boardman is transforming the way law enforcement interacts with trauma survivors and investigates their cases.

Watch Now

Homicide and the
Compassionate Cop

"We were brought up in a time that (sic) it didn’t matter what the public thinks,” one veteran officer admitted to the researchers. “Now, we understand public perceptions play an important role in our success."

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Featured Speakers

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Judge Larry Vandersnick (Ret.)

Cambridge, IL

"The state’s forfeiture laws are ripe for reform... it’s quasi-criminal, if not criminal, to take someone’s property from them in this way. Civil forfeiture has become a lot more common in the last 10 years. And it is hurting innocent people."

Sheriff John Tharp

Toledo, OH

"Saving the lives of our family, friends, and neighbors is imperative and any tools to help combat the current heroin epidemic in our communities should be embraced. I have personal friends whose children have died. You belly up and do the right thing."

Why I Joined LEAP: Our Law Enforcement Speakers in Their Own Words

I have been in Corrections since 1987 and the Superintendent of Corrections in Cheshire County NH since 1993. Being a Chief law enforcement officer and public official who must survive the political arena and changing landscape of our constituency, I struggled to find other professionals who shared a voice on best practices and evidenced based criminal justice ideology. It was 2007 when I joined Law Enforcement Action Partnership, an organization that presented as a coalition of smart criminal justice professionals who joined together to help guide our communities, our politicians and our country's criminal justice agenda in a more logical and responsible direction. It has been one of the best decisions of my career.

Superintendent Richard N. Van Wickler Superintendent of Corrections Cheshire County (NH) Department of Corrections

I felt it was important to ensure the message of changing how we view and deal with addiction reached a wide audience, especially a network of my peers, fellow law enforcement and the public. Law enforcement is often seen as the innovators, leaders and change agents. LEAP gives me and law enforcement that platform to be the leaders of change to a wider audience.

Chief Tom Synan Chief of Police Newtown (OH) Police Department

"The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” - Ida B. Wells-Barnett
That is exactly what my colleagues and I at LEAP are about.

Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey (Ret.) Police Sergeant Los Angeles Police Department

The reason for my involvement with the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), is to be a voice for law enforcement and build a stronger relationship with the communities we serve.

Chief Bryan P. Zeringue Chief of Police Thibodaux (LA) Police Department

I joined LEAP because I believe in its mission to create a more effective and more fair criminal justice system. Our country puts too many people in jails and prisons for the wrong reasons, which destabilizes communities and inhibits law enforcement’s ability to do its job. I want to be a proactive partner for positive change, which LEAP allows me to do.

U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart (Fmr.) Southern District of OH

No police agency can be successful without the support of the community they serve, and no police agency can expect to have community support without first developing community trust. I am excited to be a part of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership as the organization has dedicated itself to promoting best practices throughout the criminal justice system, which will better develop the trust and support every police agency needs to be successful in helping to build better and safer communities for everyone.

Chief Kevin Martin Chief of Police Lima (OH) Police Department

Sir Robert Peel founded modern policing in 1829 by establishing the London Metropolitan Police Force. Peel's commissioners developed the Peelian Principles, a set of ideals that defined the ethical requirements police officers must abide by in order to do their job effectively.

Read the nine Peelian Principles