The Speaker

Wade Hardy is the Deputy Chief Criminal Investigator for the Office of the Westchester County District Attorney. With over 20 years of law enforcement and corporate security supervisory and management experience, one of his primary responsibilities is to help improve relationships between law enforcement and communities of color within the county. A former police lieutenant with the White Plains Police Department, Chief Hardy worked passionately to build bridges between the police department and the communities it served while working as commander of the Community Services Division. He furthered initiatives to improve conditions in public housing, improve relationships with at risk youth, met regularly with neighborhood associations, local clergy, and the White Plains central business district. Prior to becoming a supervisor, Chief Hardy served as a detective for 10 years, focused on narcotics and overall criminal activity within the city. In addition, he spent three years working federal cases with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Following his career with White Plains Police, he spent 12 years as a manager in Corporate Security at Con Edison. His primary focus was managing security investigations, asset protection, and physical security throughout New York City and Westchester county.

Chief Hardy has a Bachelor of Science degree from Manhattan College. He is the first vice president of the Westchester Rockland Guardians' Association. Through his volunteer work with the Guardians, he strives to improve relationships between law enforcement and communities of color. He is passionate about encouraging more people of color to seek careers in law enforcement and advancing through their careers by seeking promotional opportunities. Chief Hardy recently served on the White Plains Police Reform Committee and consulted on numerous other police reform committees in surrounding areas. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and coaching a variety of youth sports.

The Workshop

Civilian Oversight as a Police Accountability Mechanism : Wednesday, September 29, 2021 09:00A

During the recent 2020 election cycle, voters throughout the nation authorized measures on Election Day toughening civilian oversight of law enforcement agencies, including some that took years to reach the ballot but grew in urgency after global protests over racial injustice and police brutality. Taking aim at a chronic sore point in many communities, particularly among Black residents, that police departments traditionally have little oversight outside their own internal review systems, which often clear officers of wrongdoing in fatal civilian shootings, many communities have now begun to implement so-called Civilian Review and Accountability Boards that are enabled to review police disciplinary matters, initiate investigations into police complaints and have the power to review reports and investigations into police killings.

But the question remains, are these oversight agencies actually holding police accountable? Are agencies with stronger enforcement abilities more effective than those without? What role should oversight agencies play in decisions related to incidents of excessive force, police hiring, and criminal charging of officers? What mix of expertise and independence can best support a civilian oversight agency?

Civilian oversight agencies help communities have a say in how they are policed, but we need to know more about them and variations in their structure, reach, and effectiveness to enhance law enforcement accountability and reduce police misconduct.