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OFFICE FOR CIVI RIGHTS <br />Office of Justice Programs <br />Department of Justice <br />810 7th Street, NW <br />Washington, DC 20531 <br />Tel: (202) 307-0690 <br />TTY: (202)307-2027 <br />E-mail: askOCR@usdoj.gov <br />Website: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr <br />September 21,2015 <br />Chief Kathleen M. O'Toole <br />Seattle Police Department <br />PO Box 34986 <br />Seattle, WA 98124-4986 <br />Dear Chief O'Toole: <br />Congratulations on your recent award. In establishing financial assistance programs, Congress linked the receipt of federal funding to <br />compliance with federal civil rights laws. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice <br />(DOJ) is responsible for ensuring that recipients of financial assistance from the OJP, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services <br />(COPS), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) comply with the applicable federal civil rights laws. We at the OCR are <br />available to help you and your organization meet the civil rights requirements that come with DOJ funding. <br />Ensuring Access to Federally A,ssisted Programs <br />Federal laws that apply to recipients offinancial assistance from the DOJ prohibit discrimination on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, <br />religion, sex, or disability in funded programs or activities, not only in employment but also in the delivery of services or benefits. A federal <br />law also prohibits recipients from discriminating on the basis of age in the delivery of services or benefits. <br />In March of 2013, President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The statute amends the Violence <br />Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) by including a nondiscrimination grant condition that prohibits discrimination based on actual or <br />perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The new nondiscrimination grant <br />condition applies to certain programs funded after October l, 2013. The OCR and the OVW have developed answers to some frequently <br />asked questions about this provision to assist recipients of VAWA funds to understand their obligations. The Frequently Asked Questions <br />are available at httpl / ojp.gov /abouVocr/vawafaqs.htm. <br />Enforcing Civil Rights Laws <br />All recipients offederal furancial assistance, regardless ofthe particuiar funding source, the amount ofthe gant award, or the number of <br />employees in the workforce, are subject to prohibitions against unlawful discrimination. Accordingly, the OCR investigates recipients that <br />are the subject of discrimination complaints from both individuals and groups. In addition, based on regulatory criteria, the OCR selects a <br />number ofrecipients each year for compliance reviews, audits that require recipients to submit data showing that they are providing services <br />equitably to all segments of their service population and that their employment practices meet equal opportunity standards.