| http://www.injersey.com/news/hnt/story/0,2109,435763,00.html
Training will aid cops against hate crimes Published in the Home News Tribune 8/22/01 By CRISSA SHOEMAKER GANNETT NEW JERSEY SOMERVILLE -- The Somerset County Police Academy and the Anti-Defamation League have formed a partnership to provide training on extremist groups and bias crimes. The partnership -- which may be the first of its kind between the ADL and a police academy in the state -- was announced during an afternoon news conference yesterday at the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office in Somerville. Charles "Shai" Goldstein, regional director of the ADL, said education for law-enforcement officers has "become increasingly crucial because of the nature of bias crimes." While most people who commit hate crimes are not part of a group, Goldstein said, "the most heinous of the crimes" are usually committed by members of extremist hate groups, such as the National Alliance and the World Church of the Creator. Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest said the training will be offered to active law-enforcement officers throughout the state. The one-day programs will be added to the more than 100 in-service courses already offered through the academy. Goldstein said he hopes the program, which should start in the fall, will be so successful that it spreads to the other police academies in the state and all officers will have access. "This is not a one-shot deal," he said. "When we get involved with a law-enforcement agency, we consider it a lifetime relationship." The training will focus on the extremist groups, who they are and how they react to situations, Goldstein said. The courses will not be open to the public. As part of a national law-enforcement initiative, the ADL also has launched a Web site -- www.adl.org -- with information geared toward police officers dealing with hate crimes and extremism. "Being a law-enforcement officer is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and it becomes increasingly difficult," Goldstein said. "Anything we can do to make a law-enforcement officer's job easier, we'll do it, in the world of bias crimes and extremist groups." |
