NEW YORK—The Sikh Coalition was invited back to the New York City Police Academy on December 23, 2013, to train its newest graduating class of police officers for the third year in a row.
Over 1,200 New York Police Department (NYPD) recruits were given information about Sikh beliefs including the significance of the turban and the Sikh articles of faith. Special attention was given on how to respectfully interact with Sikhs who wear turbans or kirpans and how to effectively engage with Sikhs in New York City. The presentations lasted ninety minutes each and included a question and answer session as well as a turban tying demonstration.
This year’s trainings were led by two graduates of the Sikh Coalition’s Sikh Presenter’s Course, Kiratbir Singh and Jaspreet Kaur Bansal.
The Sikh Coalition would like to thank former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and the leadership of the New York City Police Academy for allowing the Sikh Coalition to conduct these trainings. The Sikh Coalition would especially like to thank Lt. Christine Seppa, Commanding Officer for the Curriculum and Evaluation Unit, for organizing these training sessions with the Sikh Coalition. The Sikh Coalition also thanks Police Officer Harinder Singh Khela of the Community Affairs Bureau for participating in and supporting the training sessions.
