Darrel Stephens is Co-Director of the Policing, Security Technology and Private Security Policy Research Institute at Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He is also a senior advisor for 21CP and consults on a wide range of police leadership and management issues. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) from October 2010 to October 2017.

Stephens is an accomplished police executive with over 50 years of experience in law enforcement. He began his career as a police officer in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1968. He has 26 years of experience in a police executive capacity, including nine years (September 1999 to June 2008) as Chief of the 2100-member Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Police Department.

In addition to his police experience, Stephens served for two years as the City Administrator in St. Petersburg, Florida. He also served as a member of the faculty of the Public Safety Leadership Program in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University from 2008 to 2013. Stephens was the Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) from 1986 until 1992. He served as one of two technical advisors to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. He is one of the co-founders of the MCCA Police Executive Leadership Institute (PELI) and served on the faculty and as coordinator from 2013 to 2023.

Stephens has written extensively about policing. He is a widely sought-after consultant and a frequent speaker, advocating progressive policing approaches. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in the Administration of Justice from the University of Missouri Kansas City and a Master of Science Degree in Public Services Administration from Central Missouri State University.

He has received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to policing including the National Policing Institute’s Patrick V. Murphy Award for Leading Change in Policing – 2022, Major Cities Chiefs Association Leadership Award – 2017, Sir Robert Peel Medal for Evidence-Based Policing – Police Executive Program at Cambridge University – 2017, NEI Associates’ Penrith Award – 2016, UMKC Alumni Spotlight Award – 2016, Distinguished Achievement Award – CEBCP, GMU – 2010, and Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame – CEBCP, GMU – 2010.