Equity in policing; what does defund the police mean
Aug 31, 2020
Linda Byron, Investigative Reporter
Equity in policing; what does defund the police mean
As a part of the Rotary Club of Kirkland’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion speaker series, Linda Byron will present to the club on the topic of equity in policing; what does it really mean to defund the police, and what changes need to be made that will enhance police interaction with the communities to make it safe for everyone? As with the other portions of the DEI series, the moderator for this evening will be Darcia Tudor, a club member and attorney, family mediator, forensic therapist and executive coach.
Linda Byron is an award-winning investigative reporter who has covered policing from all sides. During her 30 years at KING5 News in Seattle, Linda’s reputation for accuracy and fairness gained her rare access to the officers on the job, from being embedded with robbery and gang units in Seattle and Tacoma, to riding along with officers on patrol in cities from Cincinnati to San Diego. Along the way, Linda saw the best and worst of policing; officers risking their lives to protect their communities and bring justice to crime victims, while other officers crossed the line and abused their power. Linda’s work exposing officer misconduct and lax accountability systems earned her a national Murrow award and numerous Emmy awards. She has also been recognized for reporting on positive trends in policing. Since retiring from KING 5 in 2016, Linda has taught investigative reporting at the University of Washington|Tacoma and founded a consulting business training and coaching the next generation of journalists.