Carmen Best is the Associate Monitor for Crisis Intervention. Ms. Best is an experienced law enforcement executive and public safety leader with nearly three decades of experience in policing, organizational leadership, security operations, and crisis management. She currently serves as an Associate Consultant with 21CP Solutions, a consulting group that works with law enforcement agencies, cities, communities, and universities to advance safe, effective, and constitutional public safety services. Previously, Ms. Best served as Director of Global Security Risk Operations at Microsoft, where she led a global team responsible for monitoring, detecting, and responding to risks across physical security infrastructures worldwide. In this role, she oversaw enterprise-wide efforts to mitigate life safety risks, support crisis management initiatives, and coordinate responses to potential threats.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Ms. Best served as Chief of Police for the Seattle Police Department (SPD), concluding a distinguished 28-year career with the department. She advanced through the ranks, serving as Deputy Chief and overseeing Patrol Operations, Investigations, Special Operations, and Community Outreach before becoming the department’s first African American woman Chief of Police. As Chief, she led approximately 2,000 sworn and civilian employees, established the Collaborative Policing Bureau to strengthen community engagement, and helped guide the department’s response to emerging public safety challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her leadership also contributed to record-breaking diversity in department recruitment and hiring.

Ms. Best is a nationally recognized public safety leader, keynote speaker, and author of Black in Blue: Lessons on Leadership, Breaking Barriers, and Racial Reconciliation. She has received numerous honors for her leadership and public service, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Major Cities Chiefs Association Police Chief of the Year Award, and the National Police Defense Foundation’s 2023 Woman of the Year Award. She holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Leadership from Northeastern University and is a graduate of several executive leadership programs, including the FBI National Executive Institute and FBI National Academy.