Atlanta Police Department Public Affairs 226 Peachtree Street SW • Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Elizabeth Espy, APD Public Affairs Deputy Manager             404-546-6873,office             enespy@atlantaga.gov

 

 News Release

Atlanta Police Department Invited To Train International Criminal Justice Officials

Atlanta Police travel to Central America

The Atlanta Police Department recently partnered with the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), which is a branch of the U.S. Department of State, when it sent two officers to San Salvador to train 35 criminal justice officials from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Mexico on combating hate crimes.

Officers Antonio Gonzalez, the department’s Hispanic liaison, and Senior Patrol Officer Brian Sharp, who is one of the department’s LGBT liaisons, delivered the first Hate Crimes course at ILEA San Salvador. The attendees included national judges, attorneys, and law enforcement officials. The officers focused the presentation on the vital role law enforcement has in addressing hate crimes (or bias-based crimes) against members of the LGBT community, and emphasized the importance of community engagement in dealing with the issue. The training coincided with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.

"It was a true honor and a privilege to be asked by the US Department of State to teach at the International a Law Enforcement Academy in El Salvador. This was a history making class, as it was the first one addressing hate crimes and the LGBT community,” said SPO Brian Sharp. “I believe we were able to make a difference and effect some change over the course of the week. Representatives from the six countries will hopefully take what they learned back to their communities and start important conversations."

The Department regularly participates in global public safety exchanges. Major Rodney Bryant recently completed a two-week public safety exchange program in Israel that focused on new public safety techniques and technologies. This year alone, the Atlanta Police Department has hosted public safety officials from Meghalaya, India, the Israel National Police Department, and the Nicaraguan National Police.

 

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