This letter was sent to the chair of the R.I. Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training, urging he immediately investigate and respond to a very serious issue regarding a privately-run "Street Cop Training" that may have been approved by some police departments, and received by some police officers, in Rhode Island law enforcement agencies in recent years.
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ACLU of RI Open Records Request Asks: Which Police Departments Sent Officers to a Blatantly Discriminatory Training Program?
Responding to a recent report indicating that some Rhode Island-based police officers took privately-run training courses that promoted the use of unconstitutional policing tactics for motor vehicle stops and included blatantly discriminatory and offensive comments.
ACLU and RIDLC Call on Police Chiefs to Ensure Compliance with Anti-Discrimination Laws
The ACLU of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Disability Law Center have sent a letter to every police chief in Rhode Island urging them to ensure their policies comply with federal anti-discrimination laws regarding accommodations for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The letter was prompted by the organizations' recent settlement of a federal lawsuit on behalf of Woonsocket resident David Alves. In July 2015, Alves, who is profoundly deaf, was unlawfully arrested and detained overnight by Woonsocket police and was not provided an interpreter or any other services to allow him to communicate.
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