TRENTON, NJ, USA—On Friday, October 18th, SALDEF saw the culmination of the year-long effort to develop Sikh Cultural Diversity Training in conjunction with the CLEAR Institute, U.S. Department of Justice – Community Relations Service, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, and the Bridgewater Police Department. SALDEF was invited by the New Jersey Attorney General’s office last year to develop the presentation that would expand upon the current training and make it part of a statewide law enforcement curriculum available to over 30,000 police officers across the state. The presentation provides an overview of the Sikh faith, background on the articles of faith, misconceptions of the Sikh community and best practices for engaging with Sikhs.
   SALDEF has been conducting Sikh Awareness Training for law enforcement officers through the Law Enforcement Partnership Program in the state of New Jersey since 2013, and nationwide since 1999. SALDEF has already trained over 3,500 officers in New Jersey and over 135,000 nationwide.  It was due to these efforts that SALDEF was invited to develop the content for the presentation.
  “SALDEF has always been on the forefront of diversity training and this latest effort is no exception. New Jersey is home to one of the largest Sikh populations in the country and this training provides law enforcement best practices on how to engage the community and a better understanding of the challenges we face. This work will help New Jersey reduce hate crimes, allow law enforcement to be better equipped to handle concerns of Sikh Americans and create a voice for Sikhs,” says Executive Director Kiran Gill.