Update on SALDEF Law Enforcement Trainings

Ensuring that law enforcement agencies and officers are educated about Sikh Americans is a critical component of SALDEF’s mission of education. These men and women are responsible for our safety, they investigate crimes committed against our community members, and they are charged with the difficult task of quickly identifying suspicious or threatening behavior.  Recognizing the need to partner with this group, SALDEF launched its Law Enforcement Partnership Program (LEPP) in 1999, and over the past 13 years has trained or distributed materials to over 125,000 local, state and federal law enforcement officials. Over the past few months, SALDEF has had a extremely productive series of trainings, providing cultural competency presentations in a number of areas across the country: Atlanta, Georgia On September 20th, SALDEF Regional Director, Navtej Singh Khalsa, conducted trainings for the Department of Justice Community Relations Services (DOJ CRS), providing an in depth Building Cultural Competency Training in Appling, GA. Representatives from the Department of Justice, Columbia CountySheriff’s Department, DOJ-CRS, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department were in attendance. The training allows for government employees to be fully trained in the Sikh faith and culture, allowing for greater competency around issues facing Sikh Americans. This was the second training that SALDEF had done in the fall, with roughly 100 officers attending in total. Northeast (Boston, MA & Portland, ME) Throughout the month of October, SALDEF Regional Director, Jaswant Chani, presented to representatives from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Department (USCIS) during four independently scheduled training sessions, totaling over 220 individuals trained.  The audience included representatives from the Department of Justice Community Relations Services (DOJ CRS), U.S. Attorney’s Office, and local law enforcement.  The training, entitledBuilding Cultural Competency: Arab, Muslim and Sikh Americans, provided information on the Sikh faith and theology, as well as the challenges facing Sikh Americans. The interactive session ended with an informative question-answer session dialogue around common misconceptions of Sikh Americans and included the viewing of SALDEF’s training video On Common Ground. Seminole County, Florida On October 2nd, SALDEF Regional Director, Navtej Singh Khalsa, conducted a series of Sikh Cultural Awareness trainings for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Over 200 officers were trained, with twelve different training sessions held over six days.  The senior officers shared positive feedback and SALDEF will continue to work with them in providing this training to non-officer staff as well. Las Vegas, Nevada On November 14th, SALDEF Board Member, Kavneet Singh, presented to officers and agents representing the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Las Vegas Fire Department. The training presented a basic understanding of the Sikh faith, dispelled common misconceptions of Sikhs, and discussed how to better interact and partner with the Sikh American community. The training was initiated as a follow up to the landmark partnership between SALDEF and the LMVPD to create a one of a kind cultural awareness training program to introduce and inform local law enforcement officials about the Sikh American community and their cultural practices. The training was also specifically tailored to the needs of Las Vegas area law enforcement for the likely interactions they may have in the course of their duties. As a result of the successful training, SALDEF has been invited back to participate in a Las Vegas-wide training for local and federal law enforcement agencies across the area on January 24th, 2013. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina