Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos interviews Barry Friedman, a noted constitutional law scholar and director of a project to strengthen policing through democratic governance, on the third episode of The Zeppos Report podcast.
Friedman, the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Professor of Laws at New York University, is the author of a new book, Unwarranted: Policing without Permission (February 2017).
Friedman, who previously taught at Vanderbilt Law School, serves as founding director of the Policing Project at NYU Law School. The center is devoted to helping bring principles of democratic governance and data-driven best practices to policing.
Friedman discusses with the chancellor why he believes “democratic policing” is important to efforts to improve policing in the United States and to make our communities safer. The interview was conducted while Friedman was in Nashville to deliver the Victor S. Johnson Lecture at the Law School. He also gave a book talk at Parnassus Books in Green Hills, where the chancellor introduced his former law school colleague.
Friedman received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he graduated magna cum laude after earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago. He clerked for the Honorable Phyllis A. Kravitch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. He has been active in social change issues, receiving the Clarence Darrow Award from the ACLU of Tennessee for his work in defense of civil liberties.
During the podcast, he talks about the importance of placing strict controls on information on individuals that the government can collect and how the government uses that information. One of his recommendations is to gather together leaders from information technology, law enforcement, civil liberties groups and others for meaningful conversations on rules and best practices.
The Zeppos Report features Vanderbilt faculty, students, staff and alumni as well as other engaging individuals on topics that range from politics to pop culture.
New episodes of The Zeppos Report will be posted regularly during the academic year.
The podcast is available on SoundCloud, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes and The Zeppos Report website.
