Dr. RaShall M. Brackney

Dr. RaShall M. Brackney is a nationally respected law enforcement executive, scholar, and public safety leader with more than 40 years of experience. She served for three decades with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, retiring as a Commander after holding senior leadership roles across patrol, investigations, and special operations, overseeing large teams and complex public safety initiatives. Dr. Brackney later served as Chief of Police for George Washington University and the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, leading both departments through periods of heightened public scrutiny and organizational change. In these roles, she implemented reforms to improve operational effectiveness, officer training, transparency, accountability, and community engagement.

Before her appointment as Chief of Police for the City of Jackson, she served as a Distinguished Professor of Practice at George Mason University, where she integrated scholarship and executive leadership to advance policing, public safety, and community trust. Her work emphasized procedural justice, harm reduction, restorative justice, and collaborative approaches to strengthening police–community relations. Dr. Brackney earned her Ph.D. from Robert Morris University and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. She has served as a Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University’s Institute for Politics and Strategy and as a Fellow of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative (2024).