Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.)  is a nationally recognized speaker, writer, and guest lecturer on criminal justice and drug policy reform. In 1983, she joined the Redondo Beach Police Department in California as a patrol officer. She later served as a school resource officer, investigator, sergeant in the Special Investigations Unit, and became the first female lieutenant in the department while serving as a Division Commander in the Traffic Bureau and Community Policing and Patrol Divisions before retiring in 2004. As a lieutenant, she additionally supervised the South Bay Platoon, peer counselors, and the Crisis Negotiation Team.

Lt. Goldstein is a recognized leader in the area of crisis negotiations and critical incident management. She helped develop national training guidelines and policies for use during critical incidents, including the California Police Officer Standards and Training guidelines for the Basic Crisis Negotiator Course as well as the Recommended Course Topics and Crisis Negotiations Core Competencies for negotiators and SWAT. In 2021, Goldstein became the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership. She holds a MA in criminology, law, and society and a BA in legal studies.