Chicago Police Videos Educate Force About Religious Faiths and Practices

January 23, 2005

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/23/national/23video.html

On January 23, 2005 The New York Times reported, "many men of the Sikh faith wear a small sword under their clothing. Orthodox Jews often refuse to move illegally parked cars on Saturdays. Outsiders may photograph statues in Buddhist temples, but not in Hindu ones. These are some of the insights in a series of videos the Chicago Police Department uses to train its officers in dealing with non-Christians. Community leaders say the videos have substantially improved relations between various religious groups and police officers... The five videos, each about 10 minutes, have been produced over the last two years as part of the department's desire to communicate more effectively with religious groups after the Sept. 11 attacks. They focus on Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus. Each contains scenes shot inside homes and houses of worship, as well as interviews in which religious and community leaders explain aspects of their faiths."