Fifty officers from the Austin Police Department, along with several lay leaders from Austin participated in a Law Enforcement and Society (LEAS) class September 15 at Holocaust Museum Houston.  The Anti-Defamation League partners with the Holocaust Museum and the Houston Police Department to teach the class to law enforcement officers.  The class looks at how local law enforcement officers’ roles changed during the Holocaust, then contrasts that with the role of modern law enforcement officers in the United States.  It is designed to make the officers think about the job they do each day, how important it is, and how vulnerable every profession is to changing roles with the changing times.

ADL Austin Regional Director Renee Lafair said, “It has been a dream of mine to bring APD officers to Houston to take LEAS, and my dream came true exactly as I wanted it to.   The APD officers who attended LEAS in Houston volunteered to be there, and all of them got something out of it.  It made them think about the jobs they do every day, and reinforced the importance of the work they do.”

Some of the officers who took the course found it useful.  Here are some of their evaluations:

• “Thank you!  This was such an amazing opportunity for our department!”
• “This training will open your mind to a self-examination of what you as an individual are willing to do in everyday life.”
• “I will definitely remember this when I interact with others.  It is so easy to forget how important we officers are and how the littlest positive or negative thing can impact others forever.”
• “It is important training, as heartbreaking as it is.”
• “Thank you for doing this training. I hope it becomes mandatory for every officer.”