Houston Fire Department’s Top Brass Trained by ADL

Date: September 22, 2009

Nearly 100 top officials of the Houston Fire Department, including Fire Chief Phil Boriskie, received hate crimes training from the Anti-Defamation League's Southern Area Counsel Dave Barkey in mid-September.

The training was offered to the Fire Department by ADL as part of ADL's response to alleged incidents involving racist and sexist harassment and property damage at several fire stations.   Fire officials said the training would be part of the department's effort to prevent any such problems in the future.

Barkey's presentation, entitled "Hate Crimes-Elements, Impact, and Offenders," reviewed hate crime laws both across the country and in Texas, provided statistics about the crimes and the people who generally commit them, and also provided information about how to identify some of the signs and symbols used by hate groups and individuals sending messages of hate.

"We appreciate the Fire Department’s interest in our training and we hope fire officials benefitted from our help.  We continue to stand ready to help the Fire Department, if asked again, as it works toward ensuring a respectful environment for all its employees."

Houston fire officials have been dealing with accusations of racism and sexism that included a noose-like knot in a fire captain's locker, and various incidents at one fire station involving alleged attacks on the property of two female firefighters, including racist and sexist graffiti on their property.