ACRB OATH DAY

When Tracee was approached in 2015 about her interest in possibly being the very first Trans person appointed to serve on the Law Enforcement Board, of which reviewed citizen complaints against APD Officers and Correctional Officers, she had no idea that she was entering unfamiliar territory.

Since she'd previously served on several of the former Mayor's community initiatives, she thought that this opportunity would have been another similar chance to be visible and educate others about our greatness.

She no idea until later that she'd unwittingly stepped into politics on the afternoon that she'd gone to City Hall for her oath signing, as ewll as also being sworn in by the City Clerk.

Neither was Tracee was aware that this was as importantly a bigger opportunity for her to become woven within the fabric of city government upon becoming an Appointed City Official that followed the same Ethics rules as Elected Officials.

Considering she's always been a very private when it comes to family and sharing intimate details about her life, Tracee had not expected for people to be getting all up in her personal business after her unprecedented appointment.

She quickly learned that she'd have to tread lightly until she'd gotten her footing, while being required to have appeared before several city council committee meetings, leading up to finally being Confirmed by the Full City Council.

Though her initial appointment raised some eyebrows in the beginning and she'd experienced resistance during those meetings, she'd remained dignified throughout the process, while expressing why she wanted to serve on the board of directors.

She later shared that she'd felt like a fish out of water. She'd had no previous experiences dealing with media and other inquiring minds on that level before, in addition to all of the other pomp and circumstances that were associated with certain individuals feeling that she wasn't qualified for the coveted position, solely based upon her gender identity or beef with the former Mayor. 

After overcoming all of the barriers and obstacles that were thrown on her pathway, she's enjoying the almost six years she's spent on the Law Enforcement Oversight Board that was established after the shooting death of Ms. Kathryn Johnson by APD Officers entering her home on a "No-Knock" warrant.     .

Tracee felt a strong sense of responsibility and went above beyond being prepared and knowledgeable about the cases that she'd be making discipline recommendations to the Mayor and Chief of Police for officers accused of misconduct by citizens.

She also hoped that there would be other Trans people following her appointed, so she knew that all eyes were on her and she moved with the intention of representing our community well.

Moving forward, Tracee had not expected for her service to have been recognized by the ACRB Executive Director and Staff when she'd became the very first board member to have received the inaugural Ivory Lee Young Award.

Currently, she's serving a final three year term after unanimously being elected to Board Chairwoman on February 10, 2022.