21st Century Policing Expert to Speak at The University of Oklahoma College of Law Oct. 1

Media Contact: 
Mackenzie A. Dilbeck
(405) 325-2227
mdilbeck@ou.edu

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma College of Law will host Tracey L. Meares, Walton Hale Hamilton Professor of Law at Yale University, Thursday, Oct. 1. 

During her visit, Meares will give a public lecture titled “How Police and the Public Think About Rightful Policing.” The talk is slated for noon on Thursday, Oct. 1, in the Kerr Student Lounge of The University of Oklahoma College of Law.

“OU Law is pleased to welcome Professor Meares to share her expertise,” said OU College of Law Dean Joseph Harroz, Jr. “Her lecture is especially timely given the nation’s ongoing conversation about rightful policing, a topic our faculty and students are actively discussing.”

Meares’ teaching and research interests center on criminal procedure and law policy. Her writings on crime prevention and community capacity-building are interdisciplinary and reflect a civil society approach to law enforcement that builds upon the interaction between law, culture, social norms and social organization.

Earlier this year, she served on President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which recently made recommendations on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust. Prior to joining the Yale faculty, Meares served as the Max Pam Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Studies in Criminal Justice at the University of Chicago Law School. She was the first African American woman to receive tenure at both the University of Chicago and Yale Law Schools. Meares also clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and served as an Honors Program Trial Attorney in the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice.

This event is cosponsored by The Order of the Coif, a national honorary scholastic society founded in 1902.  The Order of the Coif encourages excellence in legal education by fostering a spirit of careful study, recognizing those who as law students attained a high grade of scholarship, and honoring those who as lawyers, judges and teachers attain high distinction for their scholarly or professional accomplishments.

Limited seating is available by reservation for OU students, faculty, staff and members of the public. For reservations or more information, including accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact lawevents@ou.edu.

The College of Law and the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage will also host a dinner and lecture featuring Meares at 6 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. Please contact Mechelle Gibson at mgibson@ou.edu for more information.