Chicago police have developed an online course in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League to train all of its officers on how to handle suspected hate crimes.
The course will be mandatory for all of the department’s 12,000 officers, raising awareness about the importance of investigating hate crimes, Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a news conference at department headquarters.
“We have concerns,” McCarthy told reporters. “We know that hate crimes many times go underreported in the community.”
The interactive 40-minute course trains officers on the particulars of the Illinois hate crime statute, the department’s procedure for investigating such crimes and how to work with members of the community and victims when responding to a hate crime. It also will teach officers what kind of evidence is necessary to prosecute a hate crime.
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“It’s not always common sense,” McCarthy said. “It’s not as simple as it seems.”
The online training program also will be part of the Police Department’s training of new officers.
The Anti-Defamation League, which was founded in Chicago in 1913 to fight anti-Semitism, said the online hate-crime training is the first of its kind in the country.
Although police officers have long received training from the Anti-Defamation League on the issue, the new course will give them an online resource to refer back to as questions arise, said Lonnie Nasatir, the nonprofit’s regional director.
“We hope that this will set the bar and serve as a resource for other law enforcement agencies around the country,” McCarthy said.
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