Policing and Social Work

Click here to see the discussion on the final report of the Police Transparency & Accountability Task Force, why it matters, and what the next steps are.

When: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 1 PM

Location: Virtually via Zoom

Panelists Includes

Meghan Peterson, PhD

In her undergraduate and graduate courses, Meghan pursued the sub-fields of Public Law and Political Theory in an effort to join her passion for the study of law on the one hand and political philosophy on the other. Peterson focused her dissertation, “Law’s Haze, Police Ways, and Tech’s Maze: relationships between American law, crime and technology,” on the role of law in policing operations within the evolving terrain of cyber sex crimes. Specifically, Peterson interrogates how lack of clarity within law impacts actions of and dynamics between, police and offenders against the broader backdrop of a surveillance-rich, technology-infused, risk-based society.

During her years of doctoral work, Peterson was fortunate to participate in two invaluable internship opportunities with the Connecticut State Police: one with the Sex Offender Registry Unit; the other with the Computer Crimes Unit. Subsequently, Meghan worked with colleague sat IMRP on the state task force charged with reviewing and modifying the CT State Sex Offender Registry in 2017.

After assisting the task force and defending her doctorate, Meghan became an adjunct faculty member at the UConn-Avery Point campus where she taught American Politics, Constitutional Law, and State and Local Government.

Peterson is delighted to be back working with the IMRP. She is currently gathering, analyzing and synthesizing ongoing research surrounding implementation of the Connecticut Police Transparency and Accountability Task Force (PTATF) recommendations. In addition,Meghan's other research projects currently include data-gathering and analysis related to CT's cannabis legislation.

Patricia McIntosh

Assisting In the Office of the Chief Operating Officer for Mayor Luke Bronin of the City of Hartford, McIntosh oversee initiatives that focus on safety and wellness for the Hartford community. Several projects aim to improve the interrelated systems that service our most vulnerable populations, including those with mental illness, criminal justice histories,exposure to violence, and housing insecurity. These projects include the Hartford Emergency Assistance Response Team, the Re-Entry Welcome Center, the North Hartford Ascend Pipeline, and the Hartford Violence Intervention Program. The City of Hartford is invested in fortifying there sources for its residents to thrive and build a healthy and vibrant city.

Deputy Chief Andrew Fournier

Andrew Fournier is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s Degree (1995) and Master’s Degree (2001), in Political Science and Survey Research.

In 1996, Fournier began his public service career in the Connecticut Legislature, working as a legislative aide to the Connecticut House of Representatives. In 2000, Fournier attended graduate school at the University of Connecticut, concentrating his studies on public opinion research. His thesis focused on perceptions of public safety providers, as influenced by the media. Fournier worked with the Center for Survey Research at the University of Connecticut for several years as a researcher and project manager for public opinion studies.

In 2003, Fournier ventured into a new public service career when he joined the Police Department at UConn. After serving as an Officer for several years, he was promoted to Sergeant in 2007 and then to Lieutenant in 2009, assigned to the uniformed patrol division of the department and later as commander of the department’s Detective Bureau.

In 2013, Fournier became one of the original members of the University of Connecticut’s threat assessment and management team. As the police representative, Fournier provided information and resources for cases involving students, faculty, staff, and other members of the community. During this time, Fournier also coordinated the department’s effort to train officers in Crisis Intervention, a new approach in assisting emotionally disturbed persons. He is an active member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and has presented on the topic numerous times.

In 2017, Fournier was promoted to Deputy Chief overseeing the Police Department at the main campus in Storrs, CT. In this leadership role, Deputy Chief Fournier continues to support and foster community based policing, where Officers are encouraged to build community contacts to learn about potential threats, steer community members towards services, and ultimately prevent crime.

Fournier is working to continue a strong tradition of professionalism in law enforcement at the UConn by recruiting and training Officers to the highest standards, embodying the department’s mission to protect Connecticut’s future.

Rayla Mattson

Rayla D. Mattson is a Religious Educator and a single parent of three children. Rayla has multiple disabilities as do their children. Rayla is a writer and an advocate for children and youth. They are also licensed as a foster parent. Rayla also served on the Improving Police Interactions with the Disability Subcommitte as part of the CT Police Transparency & Accountability Task Force.

Deputy Chief Maggie Silver

Magdalena (Maggie) Vargas Silver was appointed as the UConn Police

Department Deputy Chief of Police in March of 2017. As a Deputy Chief of Police, Chief Silver oversees the UConn Health, Downtown Hartford, Hartford Law, Waterbury, and Stamford campuses.

Maggie was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She arrived to the United States in 1986. Maggie’s journey to becoming a police officer was anything but traditional. The unexpected and unusual opportunity to become a police officer stemmed from struggling with homelessness and being a single mother. These personal challenges have given Maggie a unique and more inclusive perspective into community policing and the criminal justice system.

Maggie graduated from Naugatuck Valley Community College with dual Associate’s degrees in Criminal Justice and Liberal Arts. Maggie continued her education by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice and Law Administration from Western Connecticut State University (Danbury, CT); a Master of Science degree in Education from the University of New Haven (West Haven, CT); and a Doctorate in Public Safety and Emergency Management from Capella University (Minneapolis, MN). Over her career, Maggie has been recognized with several police awards and commendations.

Maggie began her law enforcement career twenty-five years ago, serving a Connecticut municipality for 8 years before accepting a position with the UConn Police Department. Maggie has worked numerous assignments throughout her career, including Patrol, the Detective Bureau, Training, Professional Standards, Policy & Planning, Community Outreach, Clery, and the management of the accreditation process. Maggie started the women’s self-defense program at UConn that eventually was transformed into what is now called Surviving Violent Encounters. Maggie created the Safety Techniques Awareness Resources Team (START) in an effort to initiate conversations about consent and increase awareness regarding the social problem of sexual assault on our campuses. While supervising the detective bureau, Maggie created the special victim's unit to investigate sex assault through a trauma focused response lens. The goal of this initiative was to strengthen the capacity of officers to provide an effective response to victims of sexual assault from the initial report through the court process. Maggie was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Department facility dog program. Tildy our department’s first facility dog has a new partner named Carson, who will serve the regional communities thanks to Maggie’s expansion of the program.

Maggie prioritizes community engagement and outreach by regularly connecting with the community members she serves at UConn Health and at the Regional Campuses. Maggie’s vision aligns with 21st Century Policing and focuses on improving and nurturing community relations, increasing diversity in recruitment, focusing on officer retention, and modernizing organizational effectiveness. Maggie believes in employing feedback from officers and the community to identify innovative ways to inspire and motivate officers. Maggie currently serves on the Governor’s Police Transparency and Accountability Task Force. Maggie loves dogs and is passionate about senior dog rescue. Maggie volunteers with Cubby’s Crusade Dog Rescue where she has served as a foster home, conducted placement and is active in fundraising for the agency. Maggie is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE); the Police Association of Connecticut (PAC); and the Connecticut Police Accreditation Coalition (Conn-Pac).

Rosaline Brown

Rosaline Brown is a social worker and Minister at Mount Olive AME Zion Church in Waterbury, Connecticut; She is a Connecticut State licensed Clinical Social Worker. In 2018 she retired from the State of Connecticut Dept of Social Services as an Administrative Supervisor. Today she remains a clinical social worker in private practice and for the Waterbury Probate Court. She also was an Instructor at Naugatuck Valley Community College for ten years.

Ms. Brown will hold two master's degrees, presently she has a master degree in Social Work with Healthcare Specialization from Southern Connecticut State University and a ministry degree from Hartford Seminary in Transformative, Leadership, and Spirituality. She also has a Post-Master certification in Advance Supervision from The University of Connecticut. She is now working on her Doctor of Divinity at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Presently she sits on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Social Workers and serves on Elan and the Continuing Education Review committees and served as the Chairperson for the Ethic Committee for nine years. She also serves on the Board of Directors at Thesholds Volunteers Program in Cheshire CT, volunteers in several prison ministry programs in the Waterbury and Cheshire areas, she serves on the Board of Trustees at MT Olive and is the Prison Ministry Coordinator.

Moderator: Kelan Lyons

Kelan is a Report For America Corps Member who covers the intersection of mental health and criminal justice for CT Mirror. Before joining CT Mirror, Kelan was a staff writer for City Weekly, an alt weekly in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a courts reporter for The Bryan-College Station Eagle, in Texas. He is originally from Philadelphia.

For more information please email imrp@uconn.edu

Diversity in Policing

Conversations will center around primary/secondary stops with regards to racial profiling, police interactions with the disability community and the role of social workers, and diversity in policing.

There will be a panel discussion with many opportunities for Q & A with audience members.

When: Monday, May 2, 2022 at 1 PM

Location: Virtually via Zoom

Click here to Register Here

For more information please email imrp@uconn.edu

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