Community Relations Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Community Relations Service (CRS) will conduct an Arab, Muslim and Sikh Awareness and Protocol Training for Delaware State and local police departments on March 28, 2002. The training will be hosted by the Seaford Police Department at 300 Virginia Avenue in Seaford, Delaware, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"In the aftermath of September 11, the Community Relations Service has worked closely with the community to minimize community tensions from law enforcement activity and enhance cultural awareness of Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs," said Vermont McKinney, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the Community Relations Service.

The morning session will include cultural presentations by Connecting Cultures of Silver Spring, Maryland on Arab and Muslim cultures and Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) in Germantown, Maryland, on Sikh faith and practices. The presentations will give law enforcement a greater awareness of these cultures and increase their sensitivity to these communities. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Delaware, the FBI, and the Delaware Department of State's Division of Human Relations will participate in an afternoon panel discussion on how these offices have responded to racial tensions after September 11. They will also offer tools to better equip law enforcement to address community racial tensions.

For more information about the Community Relations Service, a unique racial conflict resolution and prevention agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, please see its web site at: www.usdoj.gov/CRS.

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