*******media Advisory*******

FORT WORTH, Texas – As part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve, tomorrow, THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. CDT, Attorney General Eric Holder will announce the first six pilot sites for the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice.

The National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice, first announced in April 2014, is a $4.75 million partnership between the Department of Justice and criminal justice experts that will invest in training, evidence-based strategies, policy development and research to combat distrust and mend bonds between law enforcement and the community.

Attorney General Holder will announce the six Building Community Trust pilot sites after a My Brother’s Keeper roundtable discussion at the Department of Justice with law enforcement officers and students. This announcement comes on the heels of the Attorney General’s multi-state Building Community Trust tour held over the last several months.

WHO: Attorney General Eric Holder Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason of the Office of Justice Programs

WHEN: THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 2:00 p.m. CDT

WHERE: U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20530. PHOTO SPRAY AT THE BOTTOM (Media Access: 2:30 p.m. EDT//Media Gather Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT//Department of Justice Visitor’s Center on Constitution Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets.)

Background on the National Initiative for Building Community Trust:

The initiative, which is an ongoing partnership with the Justice Department, will provide training to law enforcement and communities on bias reduction, procedural fairness, and reconciliation, and will apply evidence-based strategies in six pilot sites around the country. It will also establish a clearinghouse where information, research and technical assistance are readily accessible for law enforcement, criminal justice practitioners and community leaders.

The three-year grant has been awarded to a consortium of national law enforcement experts led by John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Yale Law School, the Center for Policing Equity at UCLA and the Urban Institute make up the rest of the consortium. The initiative will be guided by a board of advisors which includes national leaders from law enforcement, academia and faith-based groups, as well as community stakeholders and civil rights advocates. In a holistic approach, the initiative will simultaneously address the tenets of procedural justice, reducing implicit bias and facilitating racial reconciliation.

The initiative will complement and be advised by other Justice Department components such as the Office of Justice Programs, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Office on Violence Against Women, the Civil Rights Division and the Community Relations Service.