Outreach to the next generation of law enforcement

Last night, I had the privilege of making a presentation on LGBT hate crimes to two Victimology classes from ITT Technical Institute. The presentation included national and state hate crime data, real stories of LGBT hate crimes locally and nationally, and a review of current federal and state hate crime laws.

Approximately 40 students attended the presentation at First Congregational Church in the Cooper Young Neighborhood. Most of the student are criminal justice majors who will likely go on to serve in law enforcement in our area. I was pleased by the inquisitiveness of the students. Many expressed their appreciation for learning something they did not know.

After the presentation, Professor Lt. Stacy Cunningham invited the class to walk up Cooper Street to visit the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

My sincere thanks goes to one of the class instructors, Lt. Cunningham (who is also a new instructor with the Memphis Police Department Training Academy) for extending the invitation to speak. I also want to thank Amy Livingston for arranging space for the class and the people at First Congo for allowing me to speak.