The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk University Law School will present a roundtable discussion on Policing the Occupy Protests: How Well Did Cities Respond? from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.

The fourth session in this year’s series of Rappaport Roundtable discussions will consider the Occupy protest that began in New York City in September 2011 and spread quickly to dozens of other U.S. cities, posing difficult questions for police forces and elected leaders about an appropriate response.

The key speaker will be Alex Vitale, Brooklyn College professor of Sociology, a noted commentator on policing and protest management, who is undertaking a study of the Occupy protests in 10 major U.S. cities. He will provide some views about the variations in police response draw from his work in progress.

Daniel Linskey, superintendent-in-chief of the Boston Police Department, and Ben Wish of Todd & Weld LLP will serve as commentators.

The Rappaport Roundtable discussions are sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Sessions are held in the Faculty Meeting Room, Fourth Floor, Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston. A complimentary lunch will be provided.

Seating is limited.