Wayne Harris is the executive board chairman of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, an advocacy group opposing drug prohibition and supporting left-of-center criminal justice policy. ¹ Harris is a retired deputy chief of the Rochester, New York Police Department, where he served for more than three decades in various roles. ^{1 2}

After his retirement, Harris founded CommGage Consulting. ²

Background

Wayne Harris is the executive board chairman of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, an advocacy organization founded in 2002 to oppose drug prohibition that has since expanded to pursuing left-of-center criminal justice policy more broadly. ¹

Harris worked for more than three decades for the Rochester, New York Police Department, where he rose to the rank of deputy chief. ² Harris holds instructor certifications for firearms, implicit bias, and procedural justice. ²

Harris has been a member of the board of directors for the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. ² He has also been the national finance secretary for the board of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. ¹

In March 2021, Harris signed on with other board members of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership in a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas asking him to end the 287g program, through which local law enforcement assist federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. ³

Harris holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Roberts Wesleyan College. He is also a graduate of the 244th session of the FBI National Academy. ¹

Law Enforcement Career

Harris began his career as a patrol officer in Rochester, New York. He patrolled the Lake, Clinton, Highland, and Downtown sections of Rochester for a dozen years before he was promoted to sergeant. ¹

Harris was later assigned to the department’s Professional Standards Unit to investigate police misconduct. In 2006, he became a lieutenant and oversaw officers and investigators before he was promoted to captain. ⁴

In 2014, he became the commander of the West Division, managing law enforcement personnel for western Rochester. Two years later, he became the deputy chief of community relations and engagement. ¹

While in the police, Harris was a recipient of department awards including multiple Chief’s Letters of Recognition, several Captain Letters, a Unit Commendation Award, and an Excellent Police Service Award. ¹

Post-Police

Harris retired from policing in 2017. ¹

After his retirement, Harris founded CommGage Consulting. The consulting firm focuses on advocacy where “differences are addressed peacefully, and relationships are built through open dialogue, understanding, and cooperation.” ² The consulting firm says its mission is to “engage with communities, businesses, and individuals in facilitated, open dialogue” about such matters as police-community relations, violence reduction, youth advocacy, implicit bias, procedural justice, and racism. ²

Also, after his retirement, Harris became a national public speaker and recruiter for law enforcement. ²

1. “Wayne Harris.” Law Enforcement Action Partnership.” Accessed March 4, 2022. https://lawenforcementactionpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Wayne-Harris2019.pdf
2. “Wayne Harris.” M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. Accessed March 4, 2022. https://gandhiinstitute.org/author/wharris/
3. Law Enforcement Action Partnership. Letter to Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. March 17, 2021. Accessed March 4, 2022. https://www.washtenaw.org/DocumentCenter/View/20001/Federal-Immigrant-Trust-LEAP-Sign-on-Letter-1?bidId=
4.  ^[1] “Wayne Harris.” Law Enforcement Action Partnership.” Accessed March 4, 2022. https://lawenforcementactionpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Wayne-Harris2019.pdf