Jermaine Harris, MPA
Proactive Alliance Relationship-Based Policing Instructor
Jermaine Harris is a 19-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. He currently serves as a Community Policing Lieutenant, where he develops community-based strategies involving law enforcement and nonprofit partners. Jermaine is a Chicago native who was born on the city’s West Side where he still resides. He is a United States Marine Corps veteran.
Jermaine holds pride in his ability to explore nontraditional policing roles in predominately Black and Brown communities. At the heart of his philosophy to positively impact the lives of Chicagoans is a goal to employ social justice as a violence prevention strategy. Addressing issues of access and equity has yielded positive results in both reducing violence and improving the quality of life for residents in some of the city’s most under-resourced neighborhoods. While leading the community policing strategy in Chicago’s 15th District, Jermaine’s initiatives attributed to a 26% decrease in gun violence from 2017 to 2019. Upon assuming leadership in community policing strategies for Chicago’s Area Four which includes the 10th, 11th, and 15th police districts, Jermaine again created impact by helping Area Four reverse the nationwide violence surge and reduce homicides from 2020 to 2021.
Jermaine served on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s transition team for Public Safety and Accountability. He is a Policing Fellow with the National Police Foundation, a University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy alum, a Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellow, and a member of the Executive’s Club of Chicago. Jermaine has also co-founded two premier community organizations: Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports Conference, a sports-based youth development program that serves 1,000 youth annually, and Community Leadership Fellows, a grassroots leadership development program for emerging leaders.
Jermaine holds a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from Kaplan University and a Masters degree in Public Safety Administration from Calumet College of St Joseph.
Jermaine can be contacted at jharris@safe-night.com