A statement from Nicholas Turner, who was appointed today by United States District Court Judge Shira A. Scheindlin as facilitator in New York City’s compliance with the court's orders concerning stop-and-frisk.

I am deeply honored to have been appointed by Judge Scheindlin to serve as facilitator in New York City’s efforts to develop thoughtful and sustainable reforms to the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices. I look forward to working together with local communities, the NYPD, and other stakeholders in New York City on this important process. I believe that we all share the same goal: to feel that we and our families are safe in our homes and out on our streets.

My father grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and my wife and I are raising our sons in Brooklyn, so my family has strong roots in New York City. The safety and health of New Yorkers and their communities are paramount to me, and because of this, I am keenly aware of the challenges of assuring public safety and security. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the NYPD and its efforts to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers. I also have deep respect for the insight that can only come from the residents of the communities where stop-and-frisk is most practiced.

The Vera Institute of Justice, which I am proud to lead, has decades of experience in creating models that foster constructive police-community relationships to improve public safety and promote mutual respect. The specific details of the facilitation process will be worked out in the next few weeks in consultation with the recently appointed monitor, Peter Zimroth, and Judge Scheindlin, and I look forward to sharing them.

Bio of Mr. Turner

Mr. Turner Nicholas Turner joined the Vera Institute of Justice as its fifth president and director in August, 2013. Prior to joining he was a managing director at the Rockefeller Foundation. He was previously vice president and chief program officer at Vera, where he launched and directed Vera’s state sentencing and corrections initiative, and was responsible for the development and launch of the Prosecution and Racial Justice Program and the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons. At the Rockefeller Foundation, Mr. Turner was a member of the foundation’s senior leadership team and a co-leader of its global urban efforts, including redevelopment in New Orleans to advance racial and socioeconomic integration, which involved significant citizen participation. Early in his career, Mr. Turner worked with court-involved, homeless, and troubled young people at Sasha Bruce Youthwork, a Washington, DC youth services organization. He received his BA from Yale College and his JD from Yale Law School. Read Mr. Turner’s full biography here.

Read more about the Vera Institute of Justice here.