Racial Justice in America: Police Reform and the 2020 Protests

WATCH THE RECORDING HERE.

Merick Bobb, President and Executive Director of the Police Assessment Resource Center and former member of the Christopher Commission investigating the LAPD after the death of Rodney King

Presented by NCJW, Colorado Section

August 11 at 7:00 pm

Hosted via Zoom

Register today by emailing NCJWColorado@gmail.com

Questions? Contact Jennifer Dechtman, VP Public Affairs (303) 669-8889

Merrick Bobb pioneered the field of police oversight; formulated its approach, philosophy and techniques; and authored uniform national standards for the field. He envisioned police monitoring as a highly credible voice providing a neutral, thoughtful perspective with consistent and prolific commentary on law enforcement, while maintaining independence from any interest group or cause.

A lawyer by training,[1]he learned policing as a staff member and Deputy General Counsel of the 1991 Christopher Commission’s investigation of the LAPD in the wake of the Rodney King incident. In 1992 he was General Counsel of the Kolts investigation of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), the fourth largest law enforcement agency in the United States.

From 1993 to 2014, he served as Special Counsel to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors where he monitored the LASD and extensively analyzed civilian complaints, internal affairs investigations, internal criminal investigations, and crime and arrest data. Bobb wrote 30 periodic reports, together with several additional special reports, analyzing the operations of the Sheriff’s Department and making recommendations for change. See www.parc.info for the reports.

From 1993 to 2012, Mr. Bobb consulted with several government agencies, including the DOJ and the Special Litigation Section of the DOJ Civil Rights Division, the County of Los Angeles, as well as the cities of Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, Oakland, Pasadena, and San Francisco, California; Wallkill, New York; Farmington, New Mexico; Mesa, Arizona; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Portland and Eugene, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Boise, Idaho; and Seattle and King County, Washington.

From 2001, Merrick Bobb has served as President and Executive Director of the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC), based in Los Angeles, California. PARC was formed by Mr. Bobb and the Vera Institute of Justice with the financial backing of the Ford Foundation. PARC has established a national and international presence as a leading authority on contemporary American policing. PARC is dedicated to the advancement of effective, respectful, accountable, and constitutional policing.

Merrick Bobb and PARC can also reasonably expect to be sought out for a leading role in restoring community trust and credibility in the wake of controversial incidents. UCLA turned to Mr. Bobb to conduct an independent investigation of a controversial use of force by the UCLA Campus Police against a Middle Eastern student in the University’s main library. Likewise, the Los Angeles Unified School District selected Mr. Bobb to conduct an independent investigation of a School Police use of force on a student during disturbances on a high school campus. Chief William Bratton of the LAPD personally selected Mr. Bobb to serve on an unprecedented inquiry into the SWAT operations of the LAPD in the wake of a controversial shooting by SWAT of a 19-month-old hostage.

In 2012, United States District Judge James L. Robart of the Western District of Washington appointed Merrick Bobb as monitor to oversee the implementation of a court-ordered Consent Decree resulting from findings by the Department of Justice that the Seattle Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct. The monitor assesses Seattle’s compliance with the settlement agreement and reports to the parties and the court; works with the parties to address any barriers to compliance; provides advice and technical assistance; and helps the parties to informally resolve disputes or differences when they emerge. Merrick Bobb and the Seattle monitoring team review investigations of use of force and determine whether civilian oversight in Seattle produces full, fair, and complete investigations in accordance with best practice. (www.seattlemonitor.com)

Education

Dartmouth College (B.A. 1968, cum laude

UC Berkeley Law (formerly Boalt Hall) (J.D. 1971) Associate Editor, California Law Review

Awards

Named one of top 50 lawyers in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Business Journal, 1996

UC Berkeley Boalt Hall Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award for extraordinary contribution to the legal profession and the community, 1994.

NACOLE lifetime achievement award, 2004.

[1] O’Melveny & Myers 1973-79; Tuttle & Taylor 1980-96; solo practice 1996-2001.