Join experts from UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, the UVA School of Law and the University Police Department for a four-part series examining Derek Chauvin’s ongoing trial for the death of George Floyd, a Black man accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store on May 25, 2020. Floyd was pronounced dead shortly after then-Officer Chauvin kneeled on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest that appeared otherwise non-violent. During the ongoing trial, witnesses have described their own trauma from being present at the scene and feeling powerless to intervene or help in any way.

UVA Law professor Anne Coughlin and Batten School professor Brian N. Williams will co-moderate a panel discussion that draws upon subject matter experts to discuss a range of police topics, including the history of the profession, its culture, standards and training, accountability mechanisms and future efforts to reform.

Panelists include Rachel Harmon, director of the UVA Law Center for Criminal Justice; Shannon Dion, director of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services; Harvey Powers, director of the Division of Law Enforcement for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Service; Gary Cordner, academy director for the Baltimore Police Department; and DeAnza Cook, PhD candidate at Harvard University.

This series is co-sponsored by the Batten School, the UVA Law Center for Criminal Justice and the University Police Department. All events are free and open to the public. Please visit batten.virginia.edu/about/events for the most up-to-date information on the event series.