Passaic Prosecutor's Office

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes hosted a Hate Crimes Forum at Passaic County Community College , facilitated by the United States Department of Justice. This free forum was open to the public and joined together communities, faith-based groups and non-profit organizations for a candid discussion about bias crimes and offenses.   Law Enforcement Leaders, Community Advocates and Resource Providers from state, local and federal agencies gathered to explore hate crimes laws, specific challenges facing the Passaic County community, and the resources available to the public in the aftermath of hate crimes.

The Department of Justice's Matthew T. Lattimer, Conciliation Specialist, Community Relations Service, Harpreet Singh Mokha, National Program Manager, and Christiane M. Van Alsyne, Regional Director moderated the three-panel forum discussion.

The Community Speaks Panel consisted of Reverend Kenneth Clayton of St. Luke Baptist Church, President Omar Awad, CEO of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, City of Passaic Mayor Hector C. Lora, and Assemblyman Gary Schaer. The Law Enforcement Panel consisted of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Passaic County Sheriff's Department Chief George Rosenthal, David Leonardis, Training & Outreach Liaison for the Office of the Attorney General, Division of Criminal Justice, Prosecutor's Supervision and Training Bureau, Assistant United States Attorney Dara Govan, and FBI Special Agent Vernon I. Addison.