12 Picked To Review Harvard Scholar's Arrest

The city of Cambridge has named 12 people to an independent review panel created after the July arrest of black Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. by a white police officer investigating a possible break-in at Gates' home.

Gates' arrest on a disorderly conduct charge, later dropped, led to a national debate over racial profiling that culminated in a White House meeting among Gates, Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley and President Barack Obama.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum, will chair the committee that includes members from around the country.

City Manager Robert Healy said Thursday the panel will give an "independent assessment" and develop recommendations for the future.