TOPEKA, KAN. - The chief of the Lawrence Police Department and the president of the Kansas State Conference of the NAACP will take part in the Kansas Civil Rights Symposium next week, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib and state NAACP president Renee Wiggins will join U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom and Rita Valenciano of the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service to discuss building trust between police and the communities they serve.
The symposium is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, in the auditorium of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site at 1515 SE Monroe in Topeka. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.
Valenciano, a conciliation specialist with the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service (CRS), will speak on how the agency works to build stronger relationships between police departments and communities. She was a member of the CRS team that went to Ferguson, Mo., following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014.
Other presenters will include Anthony Fadale, Kansas State ADA Coordinator, speaking on the Americans with Disabilities Act; and Jennifer White and Stacie Donaldson of ICT-SOS speaking on human trafficking.
Registration is still open for the symposium, but seating is limited to 100. The symposium annually attracts law enforcement officers and civil rights leaders from across Kansas.
To register, download the registration form at:
http://www.justice.gov/usao-ks
Email the completed form to hbuller@kletc.org. For more information, contact Heather Buller at 620-694-1537 or Jim Cross at 316-269-6552.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
