Over 70 Philadelphia police cadets visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. to attend ADL’s Law Enforcement and Society (LEAS) program, on April 7.
In 1999, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, then Chief of the DC Metropolitan Police, visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum with ADL. He was deeply shaken to learn about the relationship of law enforcement and the SS under the Nazis, and wanted to teach law enforcement today about the dangers of abusing their power. Commissioner Ramsey worked with ADL and the Holocaust Museum to create LEAS, a program that reinforces the values of policing in a democratic society, and emphasizes the centrality of “to protect and serve”.
Policing in a democracy is about interacting with people. It is about how you treat people – fairy, with respect and compassion. LEAS drives home to police that their jobs, identity, and sacrifice are defined by their relationship to the people they serve. If they forget that, if people do not trust them, if they are feared, they have failed.
“This group of cadets was quite impacted by the exhibit and was very participatory in the discussion session lead by National ADL staff,” remarked Robin Burstein, Associate Regional Director in Philadelphia, who accompanied the cadets to the training. “The cadets were very open about the way the community perceives them, and felt that it is their responsibility to embody the images they want to portray, and to focus on service to our community. “
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. Follow us on Twitter: @ADLPhiladelphia