The 50th anniversary of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives is being celebrated across the U.S. this year.
In Atlanta, Renée Hall, national president of the organization known as NOBLE, said policing and law enforcement practices are at a critical point due to policies under the Trump administration. Broad policy shifts and executive orders under the current administration are affecting law enforcement agencies, their workplace culture and how departments engage with communities, officials say.
“We are watching all of our legacy be turned backward, and we have to decide who are we going to be moving forward,” Hall said.
She delivered opening remarks during NOBLE’s Region III Biannual Training Conference on May 1. Hall urged attendees to lead proactively while in the midst of ongoing political shifts coming from the White House.
The three-day event was hosted by NOBLE’s Georgia chapter at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Region III includes Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and the Carolinas.
In addition to Hall, opening remarks were delivered by GBI Director Chris Hosey, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety William Hitchens III, and Atlanta Deputy Chief of Police Kelley Collier and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat.
Gov. Brian Kemp, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, and Mayor Andre Dickens also welcomed attendees in recorded remarks.
NOBLE has approximately 4,800 members nationwide. About 47% serve as chiefs in major cities and 40 percent are sheriffs in major metropolitan areas, while many other members lead agencies in smaller communities across the U.S., Hall said.
“Fifty years ago, 61 individuals came together to decide whether we were going to have a power and a purpose, or whether we were going to sit on the sidelines,” Hall said.
Speaking two days after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened portions of the Voting Rights Act, Hall told law enforcement executives, “We are in perilous times.”
“I will ask you, ‘Are you willing to shape and forge the future of policing?’” Hall said. “You have the opportunity to lead forward. To change the narrative.”
A 2025 article by The Marshall Project reported that the federal government’s termination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives was creating increased tension surrounding hiring and recruitment within police departments.
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy director of policing for the American Civil Liberties Union, told the publication she was concerned not only about the loss of diversity within departments, but also how those shifts could shape policing practices and community interactions in cities.
The NOBLE conference theme was “Advancing Action by Justice.”
Natalie Ammons, president of NOBLE’s Georgia chapter, said the organization was founded because Black law enforcement officers were being passed over for promotions and lacked a space to discuss issues impacting Black communities.
“The leaders who started NOBLE were some of the only high-level Black executives in local law enforcement agencies at the time,” Ammons told SaportaReport. The organization was formed in part to “discuss crime in the black community that was not being addressed,” she added.
Ammons said that while law enforcement leadership has become more diverse over the decades, organizations like NOBLE remain necessary.
Ammons said some federal members describe growing obstacles surrounding professional development and conference participation, including being required to use personal leave time and pay out of pocket to attend certain trainings and events.
“President Hall has been the best person for this time period,” Ammons said. “She is a really strong leader and has been very vocal and transparent about what this looks like.”
Atlanta Deputy Chief Collier told attendees that the organization’s early trailblazers would encourage current members to “challenge the status quo” and “recommit to [ensuring] equity in leadership, training and service … [and] not be afraid to take bold action for justice. ”
“As law enforcement professionals, we stand at an important moment in history. We all know what’s going on in our country at this time,” Collier said. “The communities we serve are looking to us not just for safety but for accountability, integrity and transparency.”
He continued, “They are asking us to stand in truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. They are asking us to stand in courage, even when the path forward isn’t clear. And yes, they are asking us to stand, even when it feels like we are standing alone.”
As part of the organization’s 50th anniversary observance, Region III chapters held “50 Days of NOBLE,” a regional initiative that began in mid-March and concluded on May 2. Ammons said the effort included more than 50 community service events held across the region.
NOBLE will hold its national conference in Dallas in July.
