DOJ officer training 'defines important terms,' 'clarifies language related to transgender individuals'
Department of Justice program helps law enforcement 'develop an action plan to engage with their local transgender communities'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will offer a training program to help law enforcement officers "develop an action plan to engage with their local transgender communities," according to its website.
The DOJ Community Relations Service (CRS) training is "designed to help officers develop relationships and improve their interactions with transgender communities and individuals" and will provide "strategies and best practices for improving communication and collaboration," according to the announcement.
The program also "defines important terms and clarifies language related to transgender individuals" and "includes gender identity terms as well as acceptable language to use when speaking with, and referring to, transgender people" to build awareness and understanding of the community.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The training "aims to increase participants’ awareness and understanding of the civil rights-related issues impacting transgender individuals and communities." CRS, which heads the program, describes itself as "'America’s Peacemaker' for communities facing tension or conflict based on differences of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and disability."
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Law enforcement participants will also learn about the "social and economic disparities, and high rates of violence and suicide" experienced by the community and discuss the "dynamics between law enforcement and transgender communities that can impact trust and communication."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The training will also develop components of a community engagement plan to "increase communication and improve relationships" and "identify misconceptions that impact the prevention of, and response to, hate crimes against transgender communities."
A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "the long-established and well-received" training was developed in collaboration with national experts and policing organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The DOJ program "has been delivered over the span of three different administrations to rural, suburban, and urban police and sheriffs’ departments across the country," the spokesperson said.
"For example, following the successful 2019 in-person delivery of this training program in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, local county law enforcement officials requested in May 2020 that CRS conduct the training again — this time virtually, to continue addressing the long-standing tensions between law enforcement and the transgender community," the spokesperson added. "A county law enforcement official wanted to provide all officers the opportunity to attend the training, including new hires and officers who had been unable to attend the training the prior year."
In July, CRS piloted its first self-paced web-based training to reach law enforcement officers across the country, but has been giving similar trainings to officers since at least 2016, according to a tweet from the department.
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In recent years, the DOJ has been accused of using its power for "political" reasons.
In October 2021, the DOJ directed the FBI to pursue concerned parents at school board meetings for purported threats of violence against school officials across the country and has been heavily criticized by GOP lawmakers and conservative activists for its FACE Act prosecutions of abortion clinic protesters.