PROBATION OFFICERS PROBE THE WORLD OF HATE GROUPS
THROUGH SPECIALIZED ADL TRAINING

A photo of the audience at the Hate Crimes training at Clinton Academy.

A photo of Robert O. Trestan, ADL Eastern States Civil Rights Counsel.

Probation Officers from across the Commonwealth have viewed the profiles of racial hatred and extremist groups and learned how to identify probationers and other court-involved individuals-- who engage in hate crime activities-- as part of a training offered by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of Boston.

The ADL in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner of Probation has been offering the three-hour training sessions, “Hate Crimes in Massachusetts” for the past two years at the Massachusetts Probation Service Training Academy in Clinton and other sites throughout the Commonwealth where nearly 1,000 Probation Officers have participated in this extensive seminar.

Hate Crimes training features the profile of an offender, the impact of hate crimes, racism, and anti-Semitism on victims and the community at large. Through the training, Probation Officers learn about the symbols of hate and how to recognize extremist groups such as members of racist prison gangs.

“Probation Officers encounter people of all persuasions and beliefs. This seminar provided by the ADL --one of the leading Civil Rights groups in the country--is filled with invaluable information that will enhance our Probation Officers’ knowledge of individuals they supervise in the community,” said Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien.

“The training is designed to ensure that probation officers are able to understand the impact of hate crimes on individuals and communities and to learn how to readily identify the symbols of hate” said Robert O. Trestan, ADL Eastern States Civil Rights Counsel. “This has been a great collaboration and opportunity to train the officers responsible for supervising Massachusetts offenders.”

Stephen Bocko, Deputy Commissioner –Training and Research, said of the Hate Crimes training sessions, “It’s been a privilege to work with the Anti-Defamation League on this extensive training project. ‘The Hate Crimes In Massachusetts’ workshops have been among the most popular and informative that we have ever offered. The speakers from the ADL have worked tirelessly for two years and they have traveled all across the Commonwealth to bring us this important information.”

The ‘Hate Crimes’ training, according to Bocko, is one of more than 100 workshops on a wide variety of subjects that are offered each year. Probation Officers also receive training on topics such as Drug Testing Protocols, Search & Seizure, and Electronic Monitoring.”

“It was one of the most interesting trainings I have attended. Instead of several hours, it should have been a whole day,” said Laura Lempicki, Research Director at the Office of the Commissioner of Probation. “What we learned about the symbolism behind the tattoos and the characteristics of the different groups was all very informative.”

Lempicki’s thoughts about the training were echoed in training evaluations filled out by Probation Officers who also attended the seminars.

One Probation employee wrote, “I will pay closer attention to the signs and symbols I come across when supervising defendants.”

Another stated, “Because of the training, I will do a better job at identifying these crimes. It was an excellent presentation. It was very informative and detailed.”