Remembering Lexi Brenneman Harris
On a cold March day in 2018 Rebecca Brenneman marched with a rally to protest gun violence organized by local high school students in response to the Lakeside Florida mass shooting. Her daughter, SPD Officer Lexi Harris, was working the march as a bike cop. They met up at Seattle Center where a passerby took a picture of them.
I’ve never met Lexi Brenneman Harris, but I know her mom and so do many of you.
Seattle Police Officer Alexandra “Lexi” Brenneman Harris, was hit and killed by a vehicle while assisting a car accident on I-5 on June 13. She is survived by her parents, Rebecca Brenneman and Laird Harris, her brother, Ben Harris, her fiancé, Jeremiah Neumann and his daughters, Berlyn and Aris.
It felt like a gut-punch when I read the news. I’d been following her journey over the last few years through her mom’s stories, and I could tell that Lexi was an innovative leader who had a vision for what policing could be. It was a great loss for her family and for Seattle.
Her mom, Rebecca Brenneman, is a long time customer of Chocolopolis. Like many of you she has become a good friend, stopping by to pick up her weekly ration of chocolate and staying for conversation. I always enjoyed Rebecca’s arrival because I knew we’d have a great talk, whatever the topic of the day might be. Our topics of conversation could be anything - chocolate, family, politics, gardening. Over the last year, however, a frequent topic of conversation was Lexi and her work as an innovative leader in policing.
Lexi and a partner, Cali Hinzman, recently started a business to encourage leadership in policing, iURA LLC - Law Enforcement, Leadership. The tag line says it all: “Leadership has nothing to do with rank.” They have a podcast called “The Leaderist” that focuses on improving the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve through enhanced leadership.
When Lexi started this new venture, her mom sent out an email to her friends to share the news.
Hello All,
Many of you have inquired about Lexi and how she is doing these days. She is busy and doing well. She continues as an officer at SPD, currently working in their Wellness Unit. She is designing and presenting programs on various aspects of wellness for SPD personnel, while filling in occasionally on patrol shifts.
Lex also has started a business with one of her colleagues at SPD, Cali Hinzman: IURA Ltd iURA LLC - Law Enforcement, Leadership . They focus on leadership in policing with the philosophy that leadership appears anywhere and not simply in the command structure. They are doing a series of podcasts which I highly recommend. Each episode they interview a different person about what they do and how they view leadership. The podcasts provide insight into policing, from the perspective of those directly involved. They also offer good information about leadership, in general – what it looks like and how it can be fostered. The podcasts (entitled ‘The Leaderist’) can be accessed directly at The Leaderist (spreaker.com) or via the website. (If you feel so inclined, a “follow” and a “like” always are helpful for website and podcast.)
Best,
Rebecca
As I said to Rebecca, I felt good knowing that Lexi brought a thoughtful and understanding approach to policing. She was so passionate about leadership in policing that she created a startup to identify and develop good leadership skills among her colleagues.
In the past I’ve taken the police for granted, but there were many times as a small business owner when I really needed them and they were there for me. Sure, there may be things to fix, but Lexi and her colleagues represent what the police can be. I get tears in my eyes as I write this. It’s a tragic loss for the Brenneman/Harris and the Neumann families, for policing and for Seattle.
If you would like to hear more of Lexi’s story from her family, friends and colleagues I highly recommend watching her memorial service. It paints a picture of a strong leader who grew up in a left-leaning family in Wallingford and protested the WTO during her high school years.
I asked Rebecca how our community can support Lexi’s memory and help keep her spirit and determination alive. Here’s what she said:
Cali Hinzman plans to continue iURA, and is in the process of determining how to move forward. I think the best way folks can support it is to tune into the podcasts (via the website Podcast (iurallc.com) or The Leaderist (spreaker.com) ) and encourage friends and family to do the same. Likes and follows always help.
Other groups to support: A benevolent fund has been established in Lexi’s honor (SPOG - Seattle Police Officers Guild). Funds collected will come to us (Laird, Jeremiah, and I), and we will be using them to support efforts in the areas Lexi championed: community-police relations; officer wellness; and leadership within policing, as well as help Jeremiah and the girls.
We send our love and support to the Brenneman/Harris family and to Lexi’s partner, Jeremiah Neumann, and her “bonus daughters” - what she called her step-daughters-to-be. I feel fortunate that I got to know Lexi through her mom. May her memory be a blessing.