David A. Harris

David A. Harris is the Sally Ann Semenko Endowed Chair and Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He teaches Criminal Law, Evidence, courses on criminal justice policy, and also a seminar on criminal justice issues based on the HBO show The Wire. Professor Harris is the host of the podcast "Criminal Injustice," available on Apple Podcast and all other major podcast apps and at www.criminalinjusticepodcast.com. The podcast features conversations between Professor Harris and leading figures in the criminal justice system; a new interview episode is available every other Tuesday, and bonus features are posted every week. Harris studies and writes about the criminal justice system and police behavior, particularly racial profiling, search and seizure, police accountability, and the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He is the leading national authority on racial profiling. His newest book, A City Divided: Race, Fear, and the Law in Police Confrontations (2020) uses the story of a case of police/citizen violence in Pittsburgh to explore how things go wrong on the street between officers and civilians, how race and fear infect the police/citizen dynamic, and why the legal system offers little help. His other books include Profiles in Injustice: Why Racial Profiling Cannot Work (The New Press, 2002), Good Cops: The Case for Preventive Policing (The New Press, 2005), and Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science (NYU Press, 2012). Professor Harris has testified testified on racial profiling, immigration enforcement, and other criminal justice issues numerous times in Congress, and he spoke at the White House about implicit racial bias in November of 2015. He is a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service He lives in Pittsburgh with his family.