Denise Rodriguez

Articles by: Denise Rodriguez

Law enforcement and police concept and community policing in society as social trust as diverse policeman or policewoman symbol and diversity in a 3D illustration style.

Violence reduction: Improving police-community relations is key

12th February 2021

Denise Rodriguez, Chief Deputy Police Monitor, Puerto Rico Consent Decree

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Denise Rodriguez, a leading expert on collaborative reform, police accountability and community engagement, explains why improved police-community relations is crucial to reducing levels of violence.

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Denise Rodriguez
Chief Deputy Police Monitor, Puerto Rico Consent Decree

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Denise Rodriguez is a leading expert on collaborative police reform, police accountability, and community-based policing, and currently serves as the Chief Deputy Police Monitor on the Puerto Rico Consent Decree. Prior to joining the Puerto Rico Monitoring team, Ms Rodriguez served as the Deputy Monitor and Assistant Director for the City of Fort Worth’s Office of the Police Monitor, which provides oversight over the Fort Worth Police Department. She played an integral role in the Office’s efforts in conducting independent reviews and monitoring of citizen complaints, use of force incidents, and police department policies, practices, and procedures. Prior to serving with the City of Fort Worth, Ms Rodriguez spent over 11 years with CAN – a non-profit organisation dedicated to the safety and security of the nation – where she led the Center for Police Research and Innovation’s work on police reform. Most recently, Ms Rodriguez served as Director and Principal Investigator on the racial bias audit of the Charleston, SC Police Department. She has also served as the Director, Principal Investigator, and Monitor for the Collaborative Reform Initiatives in Spokane, WA and Fayetteville, NC Police Departments. Ms Rodriguez also supported the reform assessments and monitoring of the Las Vegas Metropolitan, NV and Philadelphia, PA Police Departments.