ACLU of Georgia Thanks Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police for Withdrawing its Approval of Islamophobic Training
ATLANTA – The ACLU of Georgia thanks Frank Rotondo, Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, for withdrawing his organization’s approval of the Islamophobic training scheduled for Thursday, March 8, 2018, at the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our brave law enforcement officers deserve the best and most credible training available,” stated Andrea Young, Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia. “We are pleased that the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police agrees with us that training police officers to violate people’s constitutional rights is wrong and will no longer approve of this inflammatory, hateful, and dangerous use of taxpayer dollars.”
As leaders of the law enforcement community, sheriffs and police chiefs should promote accurate and effective trainings for their staff, rather than those that promote unjust racial or religious profiling or offensive stereotypes. This program would teach law enforcement officers to treat Georgians differently based on their religion. Such prejudice contributes to an environment ripe for hate crimes and constitutional violations.
The sheriff’s “training” may potentially violate the Constitution and is an affront to the professionalism of our brave men and women in uniform, the communities they have sworn to protect, and the taxpayers’ dollars.
Despite the fact that the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police withdrew its approval, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office has yet to cancel its Islamophobic training.
Stay informed
Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy policy.
The latest in Religious Liberty
-
Saucon Valley School District Must Allow After School Satan Club to Meet at District Facilities, ACLU Warns
-
West Virginia Lawmakers are Pushing Public Schools to Teach Creationism
-
ACLU Comment on Biden Administration Proposed Partial Repeal of Rule Allowing Refusals in Health Care
-
Religious Discrimination Persists in Zoning Proceedings, Despite Strong Legal Protections
ACLU's Vision
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.
Learn More About Religious Liberty
The ACLU strives to safeguard the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise.