Being Curious and Educating the Leaders of Tomorrow with Kristen Mahoney

In this episode, Mike Wagers sits down with longtime public safety leader Kristen Mahoney, tracing her path from the Baltimore Police Department to Maryland’s Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, and ultimately the Bureau of Justice Assistance, where she helped oversee billions in federal grants. Kristen reflects on the rise of evidence-based and SMART policing, the essential role of civilian professionals, and the federal government’s unique convening power. Kristen also shares insights from her work with the University of Chicago’s Policing Leadership Academy and the growing push to equip future police leaders with data-driven, problem-solving skills and the need to be curious amid rapid technological and cultural change.