SALDEF and ADC recognized for landmark partnership with Washington DC Police Force Washington D.C. – July, 24, 2008: This past Tuesday, July 22, 2008, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) each received an award from the Washington DC-Metro Police Department for their work in training the entire police force on the religious and cultural practices of Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Americans. SALDEF National Director Rajbir Singh Datta and ADC Legal Director Nawar Shora were recognized for their efforts in providing uniformed officers with recommendations on how to interact with Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Americans. The 30 week-long training program, which was completed earlier this year, reach almost 3,500 officers. Utilizing a professionally designed interactive presentation, SALDEF’s Training DVD On Common Ground, and other educational publications including our Who are the Sikhs brochure and the first-ever Sikh American Law Enforcement Reference Card, the training program was designed to provide law enforcement with an understanding of Sikh cultural practices and provide recommendations on how to appropriately interact with the community in non-emergency, non-crisis situations. The training was part of SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program, which has trained over 100,000 law enforcement officers since it’s inception eight years ago. In 2007 alone, SALDEF training efforts reached over 20,000 law enforcement officers in cities across the nation including Washington, DC; Columbia, MO; Des Moines, IA; Jamestown, NC; Charlestown, WV; and Pittsburgh, PA. “It’s important that police leaders in our community are aware of, and have a thorough understanding, of the diversity of the millions of residents, commuters and the millions of tourists in the Washington DC area,” said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “We encourage the Sikh American community to partner with us and reach out to key civil and law enforcement officials in their local communities to ensure that relationships and connections are developed for greater understanding of who Sikhs are.” The award ceremony was held at the ADC National Headquarters on Wisconsin Ave, NW and attended by over 50 police leaders, civil rights officials, law enforcement representatives and Sikh residents of the local DC-Metropolitan area. CONTACT: Rajbir Singh Datta Phone: 202-393-2700 Ext. 27 E-mail: media@saldef.org
