April 25, 2007

 

 

(Washington, DC) The Office of Police Complaints (OPC) has partnered with the American University Washington College of Law’s (WCL) Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project to offer the agency’s Student Interactive Training Program to 11 schools throughout the District of Columbia.    

 

As a part of OPC’s work on behalf of residents of the District of Columbia, the agency has developed its Student Interactive Training Program to educate teens on police practices and their rights when interacting with officers.  These sessions are designed to promote more positive interactions between Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers and District youth.  The training sessions, involving OPC staff members, are completely interactive and promote student participation through role-playing and peer education. 

 

The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project serves as an opportunity for second and third year law students at American and Howard University to teach courses in constitutional law in high schools in the District and Montgomery County, Maryland.  The project offers two curricula, “We the Students” and “Youth Justice.”  OPC’s partnership is with the “We the Students” component, which works to “help students become effective citizens by teaching them their rights under the Constitution.”

 

“I think OPC’s partnership with the Marshall-Brennan project is a natural fit,” said Philip K. Eure, OPC’s executive director.  “The Marshall-Brennan instructors focus on teaching the high school students about Constitutional law, and the use of police power touches on several Constitutional principles that affect our lives everyday.”

 

Since its inception, OPC has conducted its Student Interactive Training Program to hundreds of youth in Washington.  In addition to this program, OPC conducts a variety of community outreach events as a part of the agency’s Community Outreach Program.     

 

For additional information on the agency’s Community Outreach Program or the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, please click on the links below:

If you or your organization is interested in arranging for a speaker to attend an event, or if you wish to obtain informational materials about the agency, please contact OPC's public affairs specialist, Melanie Deggins, at (202) 727-3838.