NIU College of Law second-year law students Jacqueline Zarcone Riotto and Samantha Malone have been named as inaugural American Bar Association Legal Education Police Practices Consortium (LEPPC) Fellows. Formed in 2020, the Consortium aims to contribute to the national effort examining and addressing legal issues in policing and public safety, including conduct, oversight, and the evolving nature of police work.
As LEPPC fellows, Jacqueline and Samantha are a part of the national conversation on social justice and help further the ABA and NIU Law’s mission to identify and develop better police practices. Through extensive research and data collection, they collaborate with a cohort of law students from across the nation and create action plans to address what must be improved and what is being done well at their respective local police departments. They have been working under the guidance of Professor Therese Arado, acting director of the NIU Law Library, and their focus has been on NIU and DeKalb County’s local police departments.
“This role is of grave importance to us because, as devoted law students, we’re committed to changing systems and structures to promote justice,” Jacqueline said. “We want to take this opportunity to educate our communities on the pressing issues that have been highlighted in recent years to drive critical conversations and execute action plans to build a better future.”
Jacqueline and Samantha hope that by equipping people with information, community members can play a part in creating and maintaining effective policing, promoting racial equity in the criminal justice system and eliminating racially motivated tactics across the country.
“NIU is in a unique position to make a difference on a national conversation,” Samantha said. “Having been a part of the DeKalb community during my undergraduate years, I know there are things to address in the community, but there is also a willingness to change and grow. I am excited to bring this important work to our space.”
NIU Law is also in a great position to support the work of the LEPPC program. The Consortium’s first year will focus on research to create a publicly accessible, national database that will be the first of its kind. Jacqueline and Samantha’s research and information will help with the Consortium’s goal of helping community members, both civilian and police, work together to ensure policing practices are equitable. In addition, NIU Law Dean Cassandra L. Hill was recently elected to the Consortium’s Advisory Committee.
“I am honored to serve on the Advisory Committee for ABA Legal Education Police Practice Consortium alongside with my fellow law school deans,” Dean Hill said. “This Fellowship project with the ABA Consortium is a very important step in lending a voice to the national conversation on improving police and community relations and identifying much-needed police reforms. We are fortunate to have two outstanding second-year law students, Jacqueline and Samantha, serve as part of the first Consortium Fellowship cohort. Their work and research will help inform future Consortium activities.”
As fellows of the LEPPC, Jacqueline and Samantha look forward to building partnerships with local organizations and police departments to collaborate on how we can do better as a community, in addition to becoming a high-standard example for surrounding areas to follow in a movement to implement better police practices.
