By HEATHER WRIGHT
After studying the horrors of Nazi policing, Hyattsville’s deputy chief of police and an international group of law enforcement officials accompanied Holocaust survivors and families of Holocaust victims in Poland this April.
Hyattsville’s Deputy Chief Laura Lanham joined an international delegation of more than 60 law enforcement officials for the 2025 International March of the Living, on April 24, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp.
Israeli leaders first organized the March of the Living in 1988. This year included the largest contingent of law enforcement in its history. The group marched from Auschwitz to Birkenau with families of Holocaust victims, 80 Holocaust survivors, Polish and Israeli dignitaries, and 10 hostages recently released from Hamas captivity.
The University of Virginia’s Center for Public Safety and Justice and Rutgers University’s Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience organized the law enforcement delegation as part of a new training program.
The program, “Operationalizing Never Again: The Role of Law Enforcement in the Holocaust and Contemporary Genocide,” uses a curriculum based in Holocaust history, community protection and ethical leadership to target antisemitism, bias and human rights violations, according to a Miller Center press release.
Courtesy of the Hyattsville Police Department
Lanham and the law enforcement delegation received an eight-minute standing ovation at the march’s opening ceremony, she said, following a presentation about the law enforcement program. “They were clapping for what they wanted police to be, what they hoped police could be, and what they believed policing could be,” Lanham said. March of the Living participants said the uniformed officers brought a feeling of safety and protection with them, according to Lanham. During the march itself, Lanham said a teenage boy told her that one of his friends was killed on Oct. 7, 2024, when Palestinian militant groups massacred Israelis in southern Israel. “We just talked human to human, honestly, about the impact of feeling unsafe where you are and how that changes everything and kind of taking that space back as much as you can,” she explained. “We brought a sense of safety to people who didn’t feel safe.”
Lanham grew up in Prince George’s County and became Hyattsville’s deputy chief of police in January 2023, after retiring from the Montgomery County Police Department and “looking for a new challenge.” In addition to the policy work and daily oversight of operations that come with the deputy chief position, Lanham said she has focused on updating the structure and organization of the police department; working on the 30 x 30 Initiative, to increase the percentage of female police officers to 30% by 2030; and creating a crime analyst position.
Lanham, who has been in policing for 35 years, heard about the program this past winter, while pursuing her master’s in public safety through UVA.
Lanham said that she paid for the trip with the help of some UVA sponsorships and a small contribution from the department.
Asked about how her experience would affect her approach to police work, Lanham talked about constitutional policing, which aims to protect civil rights in addition to protecting public safety. “One of the many things that allowed the Holocaust to happen was the changing of laws,” she said.
Lanham also talked about how the police department needs to avoid an us-versus-them approach and, instead, have an accountable and approachable culture. “We just need to do a lot of outreach in the community, so that we understand each other and that we have that connection to make sure that we’re humanizing what we’re doing and that they’re humanized to us as members of the community — that we’re policing appropriately,” she said.
“Deputy Chief Lanham’s participation in this global initiative reflects our department’s deep commitment to ethical leadership and community trust,” Chief Jarod Towers said in a police department press release. “What she learns through this experience will directly enhance how we serve our residents — fostering stronger relationships, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring our policing practices reflect the highest standards of integrity and justice.”