2023 Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy Leading Change in Policing Award Honoree
"To be honored by your peers is incredibly humbling. To be honored with an award named after Patrick V. Murphy is special. He was a true visionary and giant in the field of policing. His leadership left an indelible mark on our profession. I thank the National Policing Institute for selecting me to receive this award."
Commissioner Ramsey
Charles H. Ramsey has over fifty years of knowledge, experience, and service in advancing the law enforcement profession in three different major city police departments: Chicago, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he began his career in 1968, at the age of 18, as a Chicago Police cadet.
In 1999, Commissioner Ramsey partnered with the Anti-Defamation League and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to develop an innovative and experiential training program called "Law Enforcement and Society: Lessons from the Holocaust." As President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, he co-founded the Police Executive Leadership Institute, a program designed to develop the next generation of police leaders. In 2015, Commissioner Ramsey partnered with the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to develop an innovative training for police called "Policing in a More Perfect Union."
Commissioner Ramsey is one of only a handful of bold law enforcement leaders who are courageous enough to publicly acknowledge the need for change and improvement in policing while also demanding respect for the profession and those who so admirably serve, just as he did throughout his career."
Jim Burch, President, National Policing Institute
Commissioner Ramsey holds bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the National Executive Institute. Recognizing his contributions to policing and public safety, he has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from four universities and leadership awards from several major police organizations.
In December 2015, the City of Philadelphia named the Philadelphia Police Department Training Academy Auditorium the Charles H. Ramsey Training and Education Auditorium. In 2015, the United States Congress honored him by approving a US Postage Stamp bearing his likeness.
Watch Highlights from the 2023 Awards Reception
The Honorable Lee P. Brown
2023 Hubert Williams Equal and Effective Policing Award Honoree
“Lee and Hubert were very good friends and colleagues during their time as chiefs of police. Lee embodies the ideals that this award is meant to highlight. Lee understood the need for the law enforcement profession to change and lead the call for a more professional, better educated, and more diverse police force that more closely matches the communities it serves.”
Darrel Stephens, 2022 NPI National Award Winner
Lee Patrick Brown, a tireless public servant for more than six decades, began his career as a police officer in San Jose, California, in 1960.
Throughout his law enforcement career, Mayor Brown called on police departments to deploy officers to foot patrols and encouraged a visible police presence in high-crime areas and positive public interactions with the community to build support for legitimate policing efforts. Because of his strong advocacy for deterring crime while bridging gaps in community interactions, he is often referred to as the “father of community policing.”
Mayor Brown cemented this focus on community initiatives through previous posts across the nation. In 1975, he was named Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon and in 1976, he became director of the Department of Justice Services.
From 1978 to 1982, Mayor Brown served as the public safety commissioner for Atlanta, Georgia. While there, he and his staff cracked the infamous Atlanta Child Murders case. This case involved the devastating slaughter of 29 Black youth and young adults.
Then, in 1982, Mayor Brown became the chief of police in Houston, Texas, where he developed Neighborhood Oriented Policing, a program employing community policing techniques. He served in this role until 1990 when he was presented the opportunity to serve as the police commissioner of New York City.
“Much like NPI’s third president, Hubert Williams, Lee Brown is a man of uncommon integrity and leadership. His contributions toward initiating positive changes in policing, prioritizing and encouraging diversity in law enforcement, and addressing concerns of bias are exceptional, and it is for that reason, we are honored to give the world only a glimpse into the monumental impact he has made on communities and policing across America.”
Jim Burch, President, National Policing Institute
Mayor Brown was then appointed by President Clinton to be the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy or “Drug Czar,” a cabinet-level position from 1993 to 1996. In 1997, he left an indelible mark on history after being elected the first Black mayor of Houston, Texas. He served the citizens of the city until 2004.
In addition to his decorated career in public service, Mayor Brown was a distinguished scholar and contributed to the education of countless future generations through university teaching posts over the years. He graduated from Fresno State University with his Bachelor of Science degree in criminology in 1961. In 1964, he earned a master’s degree in sociology from San Jose State University where he became assistant professor in 1968. Mayor Brown earned his master’s degree in criminology in 1968 and his Ph.D. in 1970 at the University of California, Berkeley.
Mayor Brown is a respected authority in Public Administration, having served as both chairman and professor of the Department of Administration of Justice at Portland State University in 1968. In addition, he was appointed associate director at the Institute of Urban Affairs and Research, professor of Public Administration, and director of Criminal Justice programs at Howard University in 1972.
A founder of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), Mayor Brown has organized around the needs of Black police executives. He also served as the President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Today, Mayor Brown is chairman and CEO of Brown Group International, which uses the extensive expertise of its founder to develop solutions to complex problems in public safety, homeland security, crisis management, government relations, international trade, and other concerns.
In recognition of his career-long commitment to promoting a more effective and diverse law enforcement profession, Mayor Lee Brown is honored with the 2023 Hubert Williams Equal Justice and Effective Policing Award.
2023 Awards Reception Photo Gallery
Darrel Stephens
2022 Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy Leading Change in Policing Award Honoree
“Throughout his career, Commissioner Murphy was an effective leader at identifying areas of the law enforcement profession that needed to be examined: creating a more diverse police force, reducing corruption, and better relationships with the communities being served. Commissioner Murphy felt an obligation to the law enforcement profession to improve it and the courage to make it happen.”
Darrel Stephens
Darrel Stephens is an accomplished police executive with more than 50 years of experience in law enforcement and in industry leadership roles.
Stephens began his policing career in 1968 as an officer in the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. He quickly climbed the ranks and eventually became a Commander. After leaving the department in 1976, Stephens served as the Assistant Chief of the Lawrence (Kansas) Police Department until 1979. His career in law enforcement continued when he became the Chief of Police for the Largo Police Department in Florida from 1979 to 1983. Following his tenure, he continued leading other departments, including Newport News Police Department in Virginia, St. Petersburg Police Department in Florida, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina.
In addition to Stephens' 22 years of executive leadership in law enforcement, he served as the Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) from 1986 to 1992, as the Executive Director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), and as an Advisor to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. As the Executive Director of the MCCA, Stephen co-founded MCCA’s Police Executive Leadership Institute (PELI), credited with nearly 200 graduates as of 2022.
Throughout his career, Stephens has championed strategic technology investments to enhance law enforcement productivity and advanced innovative approaches to policing. He is currently the Co-Director of the Policing, Security Technology, and Private Security Research and Policy Institute in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. He is also the CEO of the Darrel Stephens Group, LLC., and works with a wide variety of organizations providing a range of consulting services.
As a nationally recognized expert on policing innovation, Stephens has written extensively on policing and served as a consultant and speaker promoting progressive policing approaches. He received PERF's Leadership Award and was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2005. In 2006, Stephens was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Central Missouri State University. In 2010, he was inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame and received the Distinguished Achievement Award in Evidence-Based Crime Policy, presented by George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. In 2017, he received the Sir Robert Peel Medal for Evidence-Based Policing from the Police Executive Program at Cambridge University. He also received MCCA's 2017 Leadership Award.
Stephens’ long list of accomplishments showcases his impact on policing and demonstrates his leadership in the industry. Like Patrick V. Murphy, Stephens' leadership extends far beyond the positions he held. He has continuously challenged the status quo in many areas of policing, including agency consolidation, the use of civilians in law enforcement, policies, training, and research regarding the use of force, police leadership development, including overall training and education, and has strongly advocated for the adoption and use of problem-oriented policing (POP). Colleague Dr. Gary Cordner aptly describes Stephens as “one of the leading figures in strategic, smarter policing.”
Darrel Stephens has (and continues) to demonstrate the courage to lead. Stephens was nominated by MCCA's Executive Director Laura Cooper for the 2022 Patrick V. Murphy Award for Leading Change in Policing.
“I was fortunate to meet Pat early in my career, and he took an interest in me and my growth as an officer and leader. To be recognized with an award named after a man whose courage to bring change to policing has made such an impact on the profession is an honor. To be recognized with an award named after my mentor and friend is truly special.”