The Anti-Defamation League has established a partnership with Russian militia officers, government officials, educators and non-profit leaders through "Climate of Trust" (COT), a program aimed at fighting intolerance in the former Soviet Union through hate and bias crime training.

In August of this year, ADL leaders and educators met with a Russian delegation during a weeklong visit to San Francisco. The in-depth training included visits to police stations, government buildings, courts, and non-profit agencies, where trainers from the San Francisco Police Department, as well as the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and ADL, spoke to participants about United States law and the structure of our justice system.

Following that presentation, ADL shared its expertise and materials on combating hate groups and extremists, and trainers from the A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE ™ Institute demonstrated the need to educate children about bias and encourage adults to look at their own prejudice. In turn, the Russian delegation shared its efforts to combat and respond to acts of xenophobia and intolerance.

In October, the American delegation reunited with their Russian counterparts in Kazan, Tatarstan. Kazan, with a population almost equally divided between ethnic Russians and Muslims, has a particular interest in maintaining a society where ethnic differences are respected is critical.

Several dozen regional police officers, Interior Ministry officials, educators, human rights advocates, and members of the media joined the Climate of Trust delegation. COT began their work with a formal awards presentation for Russian police press relations officials. The presentation focused on using community policing to promote positive press relations and to fight hate violence.

During the following two-day COT conference, the American trainers used real hate crime cases from San Francisco to illustrate the processes of investigation, trial, and sentencing. ADL presented on sensitivity to hate crime victims, and the roles that community organizations can play to build trust between law enforcement and the effected community.

COT is organized by the Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal, BACJRR, and operates in cooperation with the United States Department of State and the Russian Federation government. Partners in this program include the Anti-Defamation League, The San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco District attorney's office, as well as a San Francisco Superior Court Judge and an Administrative Law Judge from the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing.

As a result of COT, new programs adapted from the hate crimes and tolerance curriculum were established in a number of Russian police academies and schools. The COT program will continue with a third component for the Russian participants at the European University in the spring. The Climate of Trust program will carry on in its fourth year with a trip to the Leningrad area outside St. Petersburg in 2003.