In recognition of his commitment, dedication, and leadership in advancing strategies to reduce police bias and violence against African Americans, Cedric Alexander, PsyD, was awarded an APA Presidential Citation.
Alexander has served as co-chair of the APA Presidential Task Force on Use of Force Against African Americans. Created in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and subsequent racial unrest across the United States, the task force is an effort to promote and make a constructive contribution to change by convening a group of experts in relevant areas to develop a resource to aid police leaders in making lasting change that will effectively reduce illegitimate and illegal use of force against African Americans, as well as having beneficial impacts on police-community relations.
Alexander is a law enforcement expert with over 40 years of experience in public safety. He is the chief executive officer of CL Alexander Consulting which specializes in providing consultation for public, private, and government agencies around executive leadership development and training. He currently trains on topics of management and leadership centered around 21st century policing. He has served as deputy commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and was previously the head of two major police departments in New York and Georgia. He is a former President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. In 2015, by executive order, Alexander was appointed to President Obama’s 21st Century Task Force and provided expert congressional testimony to both the United States Senate Judiciary Committee and House Committee on Homeland Security.
Alexander is a trusted media expert and has previously worked as CNN’s Law Enforcement Analyst and has appeared on multiple news networks to provide comment on police-community relations including MSNBC. He has authored two books, The New Guardians: Policing in America’s Communities for the 21st Century and In Defense of Public Service: How 22 Million Government Workers Will Save Our Republic.
Alexander received a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Wright State School of Professional Psychology.
Because of his extensive scholarship, research, dedication to eliminating bias and discrimination in policing, and his commitment and service to APA and the profession of psychology, it is my honor to award Cedric L. Alexander, PsyD, with this 2021 Presidential Citation.