Prior to her appointment as the Chief of Police for Charlottesville, Virginia, Dr. RaShall M. Brackney retired as a 30-year veteran from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and served as the former Chief of Police of the George Washington University. During her tenure as a law enforcement professional, she has been responsible for overseeing critical operations to include Administrations, Patrol Operations and Investigations. Most notably, she was the first African American female to nationally to oversee a Special Operations Division which included SWAT, Mounted Patrol, Accident Investigation, Hostage Negotiations, River Rescue, Traffic and the “Bomb” Squad. Dr. Brackney is a recognized expert in the areas of harm reduction, procedural and restorative justice practices, and community-police relations. Due to her work in these areas, Dr. Brackney was selected by the Department of Justice to address biased-based and hate crimes reporting challenges in the nation. In addition, she was selected by the Divided Community Project to join their Steering Committee, and the Vera Institute for Justice to serve on their national Steering Committee for Policing Programs. Additionally, as a result of her work in social and racial justice, Dr. Brackney was granted a fellowship to Carnegie-Mellon University’s, Institute for Politics and Strategy where she specializes in the influence of race on politics and policy. Dr. Brackney earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Ph.D. from Robert Morris University. Additionally, she has earned numerous professional certifications to include the Command Institute for Police Executives and the Police Executive Research Forum. Dr. Brackney is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; the United States Secret Service Dignitary Protection course in Washington, D.C.; Redstone Arsenal “Bomb School” for managers in Huntsville, Alabama and Leadership Pittsburgh XIX.

Additional Context on Racial Justice Expertise.

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Additional Context on Topics of Expertise

• Blue socialization, indoctrination and police culture
• Technical: SWAT deployment and tactics
• Interviewing and interrogation
• Investigation protocols and procedures
• Weapon positioning and how to deploy a weapon/stances
• Vehicle pursuits, foot pursuits
• Police responses to crowd management, deployment of tear gas
• Hostage and crisis negotiations

Additional Context on Relevant Work & Awards

Additional Context on Consulting Services + Credits

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