Dr. Tracie Keesee

Dr. Tracie L. Keesee, is the Senior Vice President of Justice Initiatives and Co-Founder of the Center For Policing Equity (CPE). This critical position expands upon the core mission of CPE, “justice through science.” She oversees all law enforcement relationships and program implementation. Additionally, she works closely with communities to ensure their representation and participation in the co-production of public safety. Prior to her return to CPE she served as the first ever, Deputy Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion for NYPD. As the Deputy Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Keesee was responsible for overall organizational development and implementation of the NYPD’s Equity and Inclusion strategic framework. She also served as an advisor to the Police Commissioner on the implementation of accountability systems that monitor training, recruitment, employee opportunities, and complaints in order to help increase the organization’s ability to attract and retain an inclusive and diverse workforce.

She also served as the Deputy Commissioner of Training for NYPD, and during her tenure with the Training Bureau, Dr. Keesee directed the implementation of the paperless police academy, the expansion of in-service training capabilities through NYPD University, the restructuring of the recruit curriculum, the expansion of CIT and integrated tactics training, as well as the creation of the Credible Leadership Initiative for UMOS, just to name a few. Additionally, Dr. Keesee is the co-founder of the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), which promotes police transparency and accountability by facilitating innovative research collaborations between law enforcement agencies and empirical social scientists. The CPE also seeks to improve issues of equity both within law enforcement agencies and between the communities they serve.

Dr. Keesee is a retired 25-year veteran of the Denver Police Department and 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, and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Communications from the University of Denver, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University. She is also a graduate of the 203rd Session of the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia. Dr. Keesee has published numerous articles across a variety of collected anthologies and peer-reviewed scientific journals.

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