Douglas County police officers and a judge will take a cultural diversity class after a Muslin woman was sent to jail for refusing to remove her head scarf.
Last week, Judge Keith Rollins sent a Muslim woman to jail after she refused to remove her head scarf, or hijab, before entering a Douglasville courtroom. The woman, Lisa Valentine, was then escorted to jail and had her mug shot taken - without her hijab. But she was released hours later after the police department’s senior staff investigated.
Deputy Chief Gary Sparks of the Douglasville Police Department says everyone at the department will now attend a training class on diversity.
"We're aware of the changing in our community, so we want our officers to be knowledgeable of different aspects and in dealing with the different personnel that's living in our community."Sparks says Judge Rollins will also attend the four hour class.
News of the incident spread across the country, and about 50 people demonstrated outside of the courthouse Friday. They called for Rollins to step down.
