PA Inter-Agency Task Force on Civil Tension

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Purposes and activities of the Pennsylvania Inter-Agency Task Force on Civil Tension:

• Reduce tensions and violence between individuals and groups related to characteristics such as race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
  
• Receive reports of Bias-Related Incidents and monitor situations that might develop into interpersonal or inter-group tension or violence.
  
• Help prevent or resolve the problems that cause such tension.
  
• Assist law enforcement, local government officials and community leaders and organizations as they address problems causing such tension.
  
• Participate in the development and implementation of short-range and long-range plans and strategies to address the problems that cause such tension.
  
• Provide assistance to the victims and the aggrieved community in tension situations.
• Develop and maintain an effective working relationship with Local State, Federal and private agencies with responsibilities related to tension situations.
  
• Mobilize the technical assistance and other resources of the Task Force agencies to achieve the purposes of the Task Force.
  
• Respond to tension situations with maximum communication, cooperation, and coordination among the agencies represented on the Task Force and with local government officials and community groups and representatives.
  
• Monitor and analyze the nature and incidence of Bias-Related Incidents and tension situations in the Commonwealth.
  
• Enhance both public awareness and effective enforcement of Pennsylvania's "Hate Crime" statute, the Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act.
  
• Establish a standardized system of identifying and reporting Bias-Related Incidents, including possible violations of the Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act.
  
• Evaluate and recommend legislation relevant to the purposes of the Task Force.
  

(Pennsylvania Inter-Agency Task Force on Civil Tension)

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