RaShall Brackney

Distinguished Visiting Professor of Practice

Dr. Brackney’s research examines the intersections of policing, race, systemic power, and social justice, with particular emphasis on how institutional practices within the criminal legal system disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Her work is grounded in critical criminology and informed by her practitioner experience, bridging theory and practice to explore the structural, cultural, and political dimensions of public safety, accountability, and democratic governance. She is especially interested in reimagining justice through interdisciplinary frameworks that draw from public policy, African and African American studies, and community-based strategies for reform.

Prior to her appointment as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Practice at George Mason University, Dr. RaShall M. Brackney retired from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police after more than 30 years of service. Her leadership trajectory includes serving as Chief of Police at George Washington University and as Chief of Police for Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was appointed in the aftermath of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally. In both roles, Dr. Brackney was instrumental in confronting racialized violence, rebuilding fractured community trust, and advancing institutional reforms rooted in equity and accountability.

Dr. Brackney is widely recognized for her expertise in harm reduction, procedural and restorative justice, and transforming community-police relations. Her teaching and research center on police legitimacy, transparency, and discretionary power, with a critical focus on deconstructing and dismantling institutions of supremacy. Her work explores the intersections of policing, race, and structural inequity, seeking to reimagine public safety through the lens of social justice and human dignity.

A committed public servant and scholar-practitioner, Dr. Brackney is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; the United States Secret Service Dignitary Protection Program in Washington, D.C.; and Leadership Pittsburgh XIX. She continues to engage in national and global dialogues on justice reform, democratic policing, and the reconfiguration of power within legal systems.

Current Research

Dr. Brackney is currently completing a book manuscript entitled, The Bruising of America: When Black, White, and Blue Collide. This work offers a critical and complex interrogation of contemporary policing in the United States, incorporating themes of race, power, and social justice. Drawing on her extensive experience in law enforcement, public policy, and community engagement, Dr. Brackney examines the entangled narratives of identity, institutional authority, and resistance at the intersection of Black, White, and Blue America.

In addition, Dr. Brackney is co-authoring Policing (IN) Justice with Dr. Aaron Fitchelberg and Dr. Kishon Hickman. Currently in development and under contract with SAGE Publishing, this forthcoming textbook is designed for use in criminology, sociology, public policy, and African and African American studies. The volume critically engages with systemic inequities within the criminal legal system, offering students and scholars a multidimensional framework for analyzing justice, power, and reform.

Grants and Fellowships

In 2024, Dr. Brackney was selected as a Fellow at Harvard University's, Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI), a multidisciplinary program designed for experienced leaders committed to social impact. During her fellowship year, she collaborated with a global cohort of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to examine the role of policing and other institutions of supremacy in perpetuating systemic inequality. Her work focused particularly on state-sanctioned violence and the cultural and structural mechanisms that sustain it. Through this engagement, Dr. Brackney contributed to critical conversations on dismantling oppressive systems and co-creating pathways toward a more just and equitable society.

From 2018-2022, Dr. Brackney was granted a fellowship to Carnegie-Mellon University’s, Institute for Politics and Strategy where she specialized in the influence of race on politics and policy.

Education

Robert Morris University
Ph.D. in Instructional Management and Leadership – 2017

Carnegie Mellon University
Masters of Public Management – 2011
Bachelor of Science in Public Policy – 2009