Establishing a Constitutional Policing Unit: A Proactive Framework for Institutional Risk Mitigation and Accountability (Presented by The Federal Bar Association and Advancing the Legal Profession)
Alex del Carmen, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Del Carmen Consulting LLC, a law enforcement consulting firm specializing in police reform, racial profiling compliance, and constitutional policing. He recently retired from nearly three decades of serving as an administrator at a major research university in Texas. He was appointed as a Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. State Department while being assigned to train police professionals in the Czech Republic.
1 hour CLE
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Program Summary
In an era marked by evolving federal oversight policies and escalating municipal liability exposure, law enforcement agencies face a critical juncture: await external intervention or pursue meaningful self-regulation.
This presentation examines the latter approach through the lens of the Constitutional Policing Unit—an internal structure designed to conduct systematic reviews of departmental policies, practices, and patterns before deficiencies manifest as adverse litigation outcomes or federal intervention.
Drawing upon direct experience in the design and implementation of such a unit within a major metropolitan police department, Dr. Alex del Carmen and Chief Eddie Garcia will address the theoretical and practical foundations of this model, including organizational architecture, review methodology development, subject selection criteria, and the integration of empirical analysis into operational decision-making.
The session will further explore how such units can serve as mechanisms for demonstrating institutional commitment to constitutional compliance, thereby reducing liability exposure while fostering public confidence in law enforcement governance.
Presented by The Federal Bar Association and Advancing the Legal Profession.
Key topics to be discussed:
- The strategic rationale for proactive constitutional policing initiatives
- Organizational design and staffing considerations for a Constitutional Policing Unit
- Development of review methodologies and subject selection criteria
- Integration of empirical analysis into policy evaluation
- Liability reduction through systematic identification of high-risk practices
- Transparency mechanisms and public accountability reporting
This course is co-sponsored with myLawCLE.
Date / Time: February 12, 2026
- 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Eastern
- 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Central
- 10:00 am – 11:00 am Mountain
- 9:00 am – 10:00 am Pacific
Closed-captioning available
Speakers
Alex del Carmen, Ph.D. | Del Carmen Consulting LLC
Alex del Carmen, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Del Carmen Consulting LLC, a law enforcement consulting firm specializing in police reform, racial profiling compliance, and constitutional policing. He recently retired from nearly three decades of serving as an administrator at a major research university in Texas. He was appointed as a Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. State Department while being assigned to train police professionals in the Czech Republic. He currently serves as a federal court-appointed Special Master for consent decree implementation in Puerto Rico. Dr. del Carmen is the author of Racial Profiling in Policing: Beyond the Basics, a work cited in federal court opinions, and has provided consulting services to law enforcement agencies nationwide for nearly three decades. He has trained thousands of police officers through the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) and the FBI National Academy in Quantico. Dr. del Carmen holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from Florida State University and a Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Harvard University. He serves as the criminologist in residence to the Dallas and Fort Worth Police Department’s Constitutional Policing Units.
Agenda
I. The Current Landscape: Federal Oversight, Litigation Trends, and Institutional Risk | 12:00pm – 12:10pm
II. Conceptual Framework: What Is a Constitutional Policing Unit? | 12:10pm – 12:20pm
III. Implementation: Structure, Staffing, and Review Methodologies | 12:20pm – 12:35pm
IV. Operationalizing Accountability: Case Examples and Lessons Learned | 12:35pm – 12:50pm
V. Questions and Discussion | 12:50pm – 1:00pm
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