Sunday, October 14, 2012

Welcome to Our Blog

Welcome to the Blog of the Law Enforcement Assistance Project (LEAP).  LEAP is a project of the Center for Independent Living of South Florida's Systems Advocacy Program.

The LEAP Program has several goals:

1. To enhance relationships between the law enforcement community and the disability community.
2. To identify and address issues of concern.
3. To assist police departments to better understand the legal requirements imposed by title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
4. To assist police departments in developing and implementing an effective communication policy so that they may better communicate with victims, witnesses, and suspects at crime scenes, including in cases of domestic violence and sex crimes.
5. To educate members of the disability community about their federal civil rights.

The System Advocacy Program of the Center for Independent Living of South Florida (CIL) is operated under the direction of Marc Dubin, Esq., who serves as Director of Advocacy at the CIL. Prior to joining the CIL, Marc served as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Justice Department, from 1993-2005, in the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division, in Washington, D.C.

In that capacity, Marc was responsible for nationwide enforcement of the ADA and of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973, federal civil rights laws which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.

Marc also served as a prosecutor for ten years, in New York and Florida. He also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in South Florida, and as Special Counsel to the Office on Violence Against Women at the Justice Department.

It is hoped that this project will result in stronger relationships between the disability community and law enforcement, and serve to help police departments enhance their interactions with the disability community.

For more information, or to get involved, contact Marc at 1-305-896-3000 or by email at mdubin@pobox.com.

Also, please attend our next meeting of the LEAP Program on Thursday, November 1st, 2012, at the CIL offices. located at 6660 Biscayne Blvd., in Miami.  For ADA accommodations, please call Mary Fountain at 305-752-8025. The meeting is from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm.

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