Cathy Lanier, the former chief of police for Washington, DC shares her inspiring life story – and how she overcame the odds to restore an embattled police department and community.
Despite her rocky start as a 15-year-old mother and ninth-grade dropout, Lanier advanced through the ranks to become the first female chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Colombia (MPDC). She shares her insights on revamping the work culture in her department. Her method: a razor-sharp focus on responsiveness, communications, and trust.
Cathy lays out how she restored trust in the police department among the public and gained the respect of her fellow first responders. She went on to become the First Commanding Officer of Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, MPDC and Head of Security for the National Football League.
From her experience as an expert in securing and managing large special events, Cathy shares the insights she learned on how to lead in crisis situations, while keeping an eye out for risk management. She oversaw five Presidential Inaugurations, including the 2009 Inauguration, the largest in history, as well as several special events in DC including two state funerals and two Papal visits.
Cathy is credited for transforming Washington, D.C., once known as the "murder capital of the nation" to a safer city that had faith in its police department. She enabled her officers to turn the tide on crime with better intelligence and technology. She advocates using data to guide policing; she pushed for her patrolmen to use body-worn cameras. After 10 years in the job, Cathy became one of the most popular public officials in the DC area. That honor was partly due to her stance on community policing, whereby officers build up trust from the ground level.
"She made the entire police department be responsive to people in the community. That was a dramatic change for us, but that is what makes us here in D.C. now stand out in policing."
-- MPDC Chief of Police, Peter Newsham
- Safety & Preparedness In The 21st Century
- With notable increases in crime and security threats in the U.S. at an all-time high, protecting our people and assets is top of mind. As the longest serving chief of police and the first female to hold the position in the nation’s capital, Cathy Lanier is widely credited for reducing crime year after year, including a 53 percent decreased homicide rate over a 4-year period. In 2013, she led the efforts in response to the Washington Navy Yard mass shooting. Now, as newly appointed Senior Vice President of Security for the NFL, Lanier will ensure the security of all 32 NFL teams and their venues, working with federal, state and local law enforcement and handling security for the Super Bowl. From implementing new technologies and communication techniques for an intelligence-led police force to empowered communities, Lanier shares with audiences the importance of risk management, preparedness, policing and leadership.
- Beating The Odds
- Rising through the ranks of the D.C. police force to become the city’s first female to serve as police chief did not come easily and without overcoming hard-fought challenges. From her beginnings as a junior high dropout and single teen mom, to earning her GED, two master’s degrees and going on to national recognition as a transformative community leader, Lanier shares her moving story of achievement, despite daunting challenges. Take away inspiring new perspective on the power of persistence, attitude and grit to achieve any goal—and beat any odds.