Civil Rights Reporter 

Do ADA obligations to accommodate a person with a disability apply to a police officer when making an arrest? The quick answer is yes, if doing so could easily be accomplished without endangering the officers or public safety and without interfering in the lawful execution of the officers’ duties.

Commissioner Lori Barreras’s interest in civil rights started at an early age. On her first day of kindergarten, her teacher informed the class that they could speak only English at school and made name tags and stuck them on the kids, so they could learn their names. Commissioner Barreras, who is of Hispanic descent, told her teacher that her name was Lorena, and the teacher wrote that name on her sticker. But, later in the day, when the same teacher was labeling her crayon box, she decided to change Lorena to Lori. In that instant, a scared little girl was Anglicized. That moment in kindergarten, Commissioner Barreras reflects, was the catalyst for her consciousness about civil rights issues.

Many charges filed with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission are resolved at an early stage, but in some cases, the commission issues an administrative complaint and a hearing is held.

While all prosecutors work tirelessly, there is one that works doggedly. He is Avery II, the facility dog of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office. Loyal and loveable, Avery stands (and sits) with crime victims and witnesses, especially children and people with developmental disabilities, providing them with emotional support.