IVONNE ROMAN |

A pr i l 7, 2 0 21

Mr. Robert Burg,Executive Vice President

Ralph Andersen & Associates
5800 Stanford Ranch Road, Suite 410
Rocklin, CA 95765

Dear Mr. Robert Burg,

I am writing to express my interest in the Police Chief position in Columbus, OH, and my intent to live in the
City of Columbus, should I be selected. I retired from the Newark, NJ Police Department (NPD) in 2020,
with 25 years of service. I served in every role from officer to chief. Newark is the largest city in the state of
NJ, and its police department is comprised of 1100 sworn officers and 315 non-sworn personnel, serving a
very diverse community.

I combed through Columbus, OH news articles, community group meetings and government
proceedings. I also reviewed the police department’s policies and organizational structure. The prevalent
themes identified from this review were police accountability, rising violence, lack of a diversified
workforce, and limited managerial discretion.

I would leverage my varied work experience, education, training and professional network to address
these pressing themes. In 2012, the Department of Justice found a pattern of constitutional violations by
the NPD. In 2016, I led the team responsible for negotiating NPD’s consent decree, embedding
transparency and accountability throughout the negotiated agreement. Reform efforts began in 2017
and have garnered Newark widespread praise for its progress toward negotiated targets.

On March 25, 2021, I co-founded the 30x30 initiative with NYU Policing Project to increase the
representation of women in policing to 30% by 2030. So far, we have pledges from over 50 police
agencies, including NYPD, LAPD and Philadelphia. The research-based initiative is based on input from
over 100 police officials and police scholars from around the world. A similar research-based approach
would be used to diversify the Columbus, OH Police Department.

I am part of a large network of highly educated police managers and police researchers working to
advance evidence-based police policies and strategies. Scientific evaluation is critical in addressing
violence, so we may determine what works and why, but more importantly, identifying practices which
may appear to work but cause blowback effects; they erode public trust. I currently work at the Center
for Policing Equity; a research think tank working at the intersection of race and policing. I also serve on
multiple police research boards. This network will be leveraged to address Columbus, OH violence.

Lastly, I have over a decade of experience dealing with collective bargaining issues. I represented
management, in my roles as chief, police trial board member, and as a precinct commander responsible
for maintaining order and discipline among my officers. I also served as an internal affairs quality control
officer responsible for evaluating investigations for thoroughness and compliance to due process
procedures, to reduce potential for reversals. Alternatively, I served as a Newark Police Superior Officers’
Association union representative, serving on the contract negotiation team. As a lifelong union member, I
value unions’ historical role in protecting workers from abusive employers and dangerous working
conditions. As a police executive with union experience, I understand that collective bargaining can
meet their goal of protecting workers’ rights without infringing on managerial discretion, accountability, or
loss of legitimacy from those we are sworn to serve.

Respectfully,

Ivonne Roman
 Ivonne Roman

PROFILE
Working at the intersection of policing, scientific research and criminal justice reform advocacy, Ivonne
has an entrepreneurial spirit that challenges the status quo. She is among the nascent pracademics, a
law enforcement executive with experience in academic research. As an advocate of evidence-based
policing, she combines her executive experience in policing with her academic training to infuse police
policies and practices with the best available research, enhancing police service delivery, while
reducing unintended outcomes or harms. She is a crusader for representative bureaucracy in policing,
making use of data and science to inform and strengthen her advocacy. In her two decades of policing,
and her immersion in the evidence-based policing movement, she has attained an expansive network
in the police research and law enforcement fields, which she is able to leverage while leading change
and creating coalitions around social justice issues.

EXPERIENCE

Co-Founder of the 30x30 Initiative March 2021

In partnership with the NYU Policing Project, the initiative aims to increase the representation of
policewomen in the US to 30% by 2030, by addressing barriers identified through research. On our
launch date of March 25, 2021, we exceeded our goal of 25 police agencies pledging to increase the
recruitment and retention of women in policing. As of April 7, 2021, we have nearly 60 agencies
pledging to diversify their workforce. Partnering agencies vary in size from small to large agencies like
NYPD, Seattle, Philadelphia, LAPD, Denver, and Baltimore.

Police Relationship Manager, Center for Policing Equity April 2020

Responsible for guiding police chiefs through a police data collection process, for analysis to identify
patterns of racial disparities in police practices. The scientific findings are translated in a manner that is
meaningful to chiefs and their staff. Through the establishment of relationships, chiefs are encouraged
to make the analyses and findings public and implement the outlined recommendations to address the
identified racial disparities.

Police Management, Newark (NJ) Police Department 2007-2020

Relevant Accomplishments:

- Negotiated the Newark Police Dept. Consent Decree with the Department of Justice
- Executive Officer for Internal Affairs Unit responsible for quality control of investigations, meeting
legal time constraints for disciplinary actions, and the training and development of investigators.
- Earned the National Institute of Justice, Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science fellowship
for her research on Police Perceptions of Legitimacy and Procedural Justice.
- Public Private Partnership coordinator: Established the Newark Downtown District mini precinct,
based on the Philadelphia Center City District. The project enhanced public perception of safety,
which spurred increased development in downtown Newark, exceeding $2 billion in a 7-year span .
- Commander of the Gang Unit, overseeing 34 detectives and supervisors. Earned recognition from
the Governor’s Office, Gang Interdiction Director for operations dismantling a criminal enterprise.
- Commander of the 2nd precinct, with a staff of 117 officers. Earned the Chiefs Award for reduction
in crime, and reduction in sick time and complaints against personnel.
- Commander of the Major Crimes Division overseeing 167 detectives and supervisors. Earned the
Director’s award for shooting clearances.
Founder, Women’s Leadership Academy 2017-2020

Obtained grant funding to launch the Women’s Leadership Academy, an organization created to
address the high attrition rates of women entering police academies.

Relevant Accomplishments:
- Significantly reduced attrition rates for women in NJ police academies, elevating the topic into the
public consciousness, and to the attention of policy makers.
- Earned a 2019 TED Talks fellowship for her work on improving outcomes for women in policing.
Her TED Talk has been viewed nearly 2 million times.
- Spurred a national investigative news piece on the attrition rates for women, which led to a NJ
Senate hearing on women in policing, and legislation to increase diversity in law enforcement.
- Organized a national summit in collaboration with the National Institute of Justice to identify gaps in
the research on women in policing.
- Earned a scholarship from the Women’s Media Center, for advanced training on messaging to
meet her advocacy goals.
- Has been interviewed by dozens of news outlets and has authored op-ed and white papers on
police culture and women in policing.
- Her work has been replicated by the Iowa State Police, Bellevue, NE, and multiple jurisdictions in
NJ.
- Her advocacy to increase the number of women in policing is being scaled nationally through the
NYU Policing Project, where she serves as a consultant.

EDUCATION

- Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 2017-present

PhD studies, Public Affairs and Community Development, fully funded

- Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 2020

Master of Science, Public Affairs and Public Policy

- Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 2017

Master of Arts, Public Administration with Distinction

PUBLICATIONS

- Essay: When Strategies Cause Unintended Harms. Police Foundation. July 22, 2020

- Opinion: Hiring and Promoting Women Police Officers Could Bring Real Justice Reform and Make
Communities. MarketWatch. June 10, 2020

- Essay: Women in Policing; The Numbers Fall Far Short of the Need. Police Chief Magazine
https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/women-in-policing/ April 23, 2020

- Response Essay: The Case for Evidence-Based Policing. In Katz, C. and McGuire, E.
Transforming the Police: 13 Key Reforms. (Chapter 9: Researcher Partnerships to Advance
Policing by Webb, Katz, and Flippin) 2020

- The Curfew Myth: How a 90s panic spawned an anti-crime measure that doesn't make you safer.
The Marshall Project; Reprinted in Vice.com, The National League of Cities, American Society of
Evidence-Based July 31, 2018
Impact: Chattanooga, TN scrapped plans to institute a juvenile curfew, Dallas, TX let their juvenile
curfew law expire.

- A Police Pioneer on Her Unfinished Business: Portland’s first female chief, Penny Harrington
recalls the steep climb to the top. The Marshall Project; Reprinted in The Oregonian
Impact: Inspired the National Institute of Justice’s Women in Policing Summit, December 3-4,
2018, Washington, DC. A report outlining summit recommendations and research priorities to be
published in Summer of 2019.
MEDIA

- Cosmopolitan: How Women Want to Fix the Police Problem by Cari Shane and Elizabeth Kiefer.
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a33807010/police-reform-women/
September 15, 2020

- NBC: Interview about police reform.

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/former-police-chief-hire-and-promote-more-female-officers-
85952581818 June 24, 2020

- CNN: Want to reform the police? Hire more women by Ashley Fantz and Casey Tolan.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/us/protests-police-reform-women-policing-invs/index.html
June 23, 2020

- National Institute of Justice: Women in Policing. https://nij.ojp.gov/media/video/24941

March 25, 2020

- NJ.com: 8 Women Whose Fearless Stories You Should Know for International Women’s Day.
https://www.nj.com/news/2020/03/8-nj-women-whose-fearless-stories-you-should-know-for-
international-womens-day.html March 8, 2020

- National Institute of Justice: NIJ LEADS Program Increases Research Capabilities of Law
Enforcement Officers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y17fS1aEJXc&feature=youtu.be
October 31, 2019

- OZY.COM: Do Women Make Better Police Officers by Cari Shane. https://www.ozy.com/the-new-

and-the-next/why-are-women-still-not-gaining-ground-on-the-police-force/96791/
October 1, 2019
- TED Talks: How Policewomen Make Communities Safer
https://www.ted.com/talks/ivonne_roman_how_policewomen_make_communities_safer?language=
en July 30, 2019

ACADEMIC CONFERENCES, PANELS AND PRESENTATIONS

- Women’s History Month Panel; Women Police Chiefs Orlando Police Department
March 29, 2021

- Women in Public Safety. Franklin University, Center for Public Safety and Cybersecurity
March 16, 2021

- The Insurrection at the US Capitol: Exploring Causes, Effects and Ways Forward
February 4, 2021

- Police, Policing, and Police Reform: Implications for the Future of our Cities. Rutgers Center for
Urban Research September 10, 2020

- Dismantling Inequalities and Injustices in Criminal Justice. American Society for Public
Administration. July 23, 2020

- Beyond Thoughts and Prayers: Strategies to Eradicate Anti-Black Police Violence Panel.
University of Cincinnati. June 25, 2020

- Transforming the Police: Police/University Collaborations Panel. Arizona State University.

Phoenix, AZ February 5, 2020

- The Policing of Conflict & Post-Conflict Areas. American Society of Criminology. San Francisco,
CA November 13, 2019
- Recruitment and Retention of Women in Policing: A Case Study of NJ Police Training
Commission’s Policy Change and its Impact on Women. American Society of Criminology. San
Francisco, CA November 15, 2019

- NIJ Panel Discussant: Promising Practices in Police Recruitment, Selection, Training and
Retention. International Association of Chiefs of Police. Chicago, IL October 26, 2019

- NIJ Panel Discussant: Women in Policing: Breaking Barriers and Blazing a Path. International
Association of Chiefs of Police. Chicago, IL October 28, 2019

- Panel Discussant: Women in Policing: Barriers to Recruitment and Retention. American Society of
Evidence Based Policing Annual Conference. Cincinnati, OH. May 21, 2019

- Speaker: Gendered Disparities in Police Academy Physical Fitness Testing. TED Conference,
Vancouver, BC. April 15, 2019

- Panel Discussant: Recruitment and Retention of Women in Policing: National Institute of Justice,
Women in Policing Summit, Washington, DC. December 3, 2018

- Panel Discussant: Recruitment and Retention of Women in Policing: Validity in Physical Ability
Testing. International Association of Chiefs of Police, NIJ Panel. Philadelphia, PA.
October 6, 2018

- Guest Speaker: Stagnation of Women in Policing in the United States. Canadian Society of
Evidence Based Policing Webcast. Canada September 25, 2018

- Lecture Presentation: Recruitment and Retention of Women in Policing: Barriers in Police

Academies. American Society of Evidence Based Policing Conference. Philadelphia, PA.
May 21, 2018

- Lecture Presentation: Retention of Women in Policing: Barriers in Academies. Bloomberg

Philanthropies Pracademia Symposium, New York, NY. April 11, 2018

ACADEMIC SERVICE

- Subject Matter Expert for peer review process, RAND. July 2020 to present

- Subject Matter Expert for peer review process, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS) 2017-Present

APPOINTMENTS AND AFFILIATIONS

- American Society of Criminology; Division on Women & Crime 2019-present

- American Society of Criminology; Division of Policing 2019-present
- Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management 2017-present
- Women’s Leadership Academy – Founder/Director 2017-present
- NIJ Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholar 2016-2019
- American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, Executive Board 2016-present
- National Police Foundation, Executive Fellow 2016-present