Jermaine Harris is a 21-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. He currently serves as a Lieutenant where he develops community-based solutions to violence prevention by collaborating with law enforcement and nonprofit partners. Jermaine is a Chicago native who was born on the city’s West Side in the Austin community and is now a resident of North Lawndale. He is a graduate of Whitney Young High School and a United States Marine Corps veteran.
Jermaine holds pride in his ability to explore nontraditional policing roles. At the heart of his philosophy to positively impact the lives of Chicagoans is a goal to employ social justice as a violence prevention strategy. Addressing issues of access and equity has yielded positive results in both reducing violence and improving the quality of life for residents in some of the city’s most under-resourced neighborhoods.
Jermaine was selected to serve on Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s Public Safety Transition Subcommittee. In 2019 he also served on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s transition team for Public Safety and Accountability. He was a working group member of the National Police Foundation Council on Policing Reforms and Race and currently serves as a governor’s appointee to the State of Illinois Racial Profiling Prevention and Data Oversight Board. Jermaine is a University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy alum, a Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellow, and a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. He was recently named an Eisenhower USA Justice Fellow where he traveled to Ireland and the United Kingdom to explore police and community partnership building. In recognition of the impact he has made in improving safety outcomes, Jermaine was invited to serve as a featured speaker during the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
Jermaine has also co-founded two premier community organizations: Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports Conference, a sports-based youth development program that serves 1,000 youth annually and Community Leadership Fellows, a grassroots leadership development program for emerging leaders of color in Chicago.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Kaplan University and a Master’s Degree in Public Safety Administration from Calumet College of St Joseph.
Experience Highlights
Noncommissioned Officer at United States Marine Corps
Community Policing Lieutenant at Chicago Police Department
Community Policing Lieutenant at Chicago Police Department
Honorably Discharged Veteran with active duty years of service from 1997-2001. Obtained the rank of E-4 Sergeant with two meritous promotions. Recognized as Company Honorman from MCRD San Diego Basic Training
Community Policing Lieutenant at Chicago Police Department
Community Policing Lieutenant at Chicago Police Department
Community Policing Lieutenant at Chicago Police Department
Areas of specialty include Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement. Recognized as a subject matter expert in Community Policing and Problem Solving.
Transition Subcommittee Member for Mayor Brandon Johnson
Community Policing Lieutenant at Chicago Police Department
Transition Subcommittee Member for Mayor Brandon Johnson
Only active member of Chicago Police Department to serve on the Public Safety Transition team for Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.
Eisenhower Fellowships USA Justice Fellow
Chicago Civic Leadership Academy at University of Chicago
Transition Subcommittee Member for Mayor Brandon Johnson
The USA Justice Program is a new fellowship program that will send ascendant American leaders on a transformative, personalized professional experience abroad to enhance their perspectives and sharpen their skills so they can maximize their impact on advancing racial justice in their communities and professional spheres.
Signature Fellow at Leadership Greater Chicago
Chicago Civic Leadership Academy at University of Chicago
Chicago Civic Leadership Academy at University of Chicago
Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) is the region’s premiere civic leadership development organization. The 10-month program immerses promising leaders from the private, nonprofit, and public sectors in the major socioeconomic issues facing the Greater Chicago area.
Chicago Civic Leadership Academy at University of Chicago
Chicago Civic Leadership Academy at University of Chicago
Chicago Civic Leadership Academy at University of Chicago
Civic Leadership Academy fellows—an annual cohort of 30 high-potential leaders of nonprofit organizations and government agencies —engage in a six-month interdisciplinary leadership development curriculum that includes lectures, case studies, workshops, conversations with civic leaders throughout Chicago, as well as a week-long global practicum abroad.
Illinois Racial Profiling Prevention and Data Oversight Board
Working Group Member, National Council on Policing Reforms and Race
Illinois Racial Profiling Prevention and Data Oversight Board
The Oversight Board has the responsibilities:
- To coordinate the development, adoption, and implementation of plans and strategies to eliminate racial profiling in Illinois.
- To promulgate model policies that are designed to protect individuals' civil rights related to police traffic enforcement.
- To study and to issue reports and recommendations to the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the General Assembly.
Local School Council Chair at Westinghouse College Prep
Working Group Member, National Council on Policing Reforms and Race
Illinois Racial Profiling Prevention and Data Oversight Board
Served as Chairperson of Chicago Public Schools, Local School Council from 2017 - 2021
Local School Councils are responsible for:
Approving the school based academic plan (CIWP)
Approving the alignment of budgetary resources to the CIWP
Engaging in the annual evaluation of contract principal’s professional practices
Selecting or renewing contract principals.
Working Group Member, National Council on Policing Reforms and Race
Working Group Member, National Council on Policing Reforms and Race
Working Group Member, National Council on Policing Reforms and Race
In 2020, the National Policing Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, convened the Council as an independent body to identify opportunities for policing reforms with a focus on addressing racial disparities. The Council’s members included young people, community members, business and faith leaders, law enforcement leaders, and researchers. Council members came together to develop these recommendations that reflect a comprehensive and research-based approach to addressing policing and race.
Advisory Board Chairperson for Community Leadership Fellows
Advisory Board Chairperson for Community Leadership Fellows
Working Group Member, National Council on Policing Reforms and Race
Co-founder and Chair of Advisory Council, responsible for leadership and direction of program implementation. Community Leadership Fellows is a grassroots leadership development program for the Westside of Chicago.
Founding Board Member for Thresholds Health
Advisory Board Chairperson for Community Leadership Fellows
Founding Board Member for Thresholds Health
Thresholds Health seeks to provide high quality integrated primary and behavioral health care with integrity and respect to improve health outcomes in the communities it serves.
Member of The Economic Club of Chicago
Advisory Board Chairperson for Community Leadership Fellows
Founding Board Member for Thresholds Health
The Economic Club of Chicago’s membership is a curated composition of business and civic leaders that reflects the diversity in the city and state. With 2,400 members representing every industry in Chicago, 70 percent of our members are C-suite executives. A key pillar of our membership is this demonstrated commitment to civic engagement, a trait that sets the Chicago business community apart.
Co-founder of Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports
Co-founder of Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports
Co-founder of Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports
Westside Sports is a collaborative sports-based youth development program that serves 8 to 14 year olds. Utilizing a model of police, nonprofit, and faith based partnerships for small group mentoring with principles of trauma-informed coaching.
Subject Matter Expert on Community Policing
Co-founder of Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports
Co-founder of Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports
Performed large group presentations on community policing best practices including 2 flagship concepts: Community Violence Response Teams and Social Justice as a Violence Prevention Strategy
Transition Committee Member for Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Co-founder of Chicago Westside Police & Youth Sports
Transition Committee Member for Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Only Rank and File member of Chicago Police Department to serve on the Public Safety and Accountability Transition team for Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot. Championed the idea of incentivizing community policing activities.