New York, NY, June 27, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today applauded the announcement by the Justice Department that every federal law enforcement official and every federal prosecutor would participate in implicit bias training in the coming months.
ADL previously recommended such core values training initiatives in its submissions to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
“This Justice Department has done extraordinary work to address inequities in the criminal justice system, to disrupt the school to prison pipeline, to end the wrongful criminalization of poverty, and to advance constitutional policing that builds trust between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve,” said Marvin D. Nathan, ADL National Chair. “This announcement fulfills one of the primary recommendations of President Obama’s key initiatives on this issue, and is a further demonstration that the Department is leaning forward in its commitment to a strong and fair criminal justice system.”
“The Justice Department has appropriately recognized that implicit bias ‘presents unique challenges’ to effective law enforcement,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “This step by the Justice Department is critically important, because if police are perceived as treating any segment of the population unfairly, trust in law enforcement is eroded and the ability of the police to do its work is impaired. That mistrust can result in unwillingness to cooperate in investigations, to report crime, or even to turn to police for protection.
“We stand ready to support and assist the Department in any way with this important training initiative going forward,” Mr. Greenblatt added.
In its testimony to the President’s Task Force on Policing in the 21st Century, ADL described its flagship Law Enforcement and Society (LEAS) core values program and a range of policing practices that can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust and collaborative relationships between law enforcement officials and the communities they serve and protect.
ADL is the largest non-governmental provider in the United States for law enforcement training on hate crimes, extremism and terrorism.