It was a potent moment for these trainees, most in their early 20's, many before this with only a vague notion of the Holocaust. The morning had an immediate impact. As one of them wrote — with touchingly earnest naïveté on a post-discussion anonymous questionnaire, "This training helps me to deal with other cultures (such as Jews) in a more compassionate manner because of the betrayal and fear that the police have placed in them in the past." "My attitude," the recruit wrote, "will be different."

The program, "Law Enforcement and Society: Lessons of the Holocaust," is not new. It was started four years ago by Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey. Every D.C. cop has attended. It has caught on with the many of the Maryland and Virginia police departments, and the FBI plans to include it in training its agents.

The program's effectiveness has not been evaluated. Some older officers think it is a bow to political correctness. We are impressed by the program, and by the responses of officers who have attended, like that of Office Major.

From a police perspective, you appreciate hard physical evidence: things you can identify, touch, smell," Officer Major said. "And being at the museum is like looking at physical evidence of a crime that is cataclysmic in scale. You have to ask yourself, `If I got into that situation, would I do what's right?' You look at what happened in the civil rights battle, and you see the mistakes that police forces made in acquiescing. It reminds you of the ethical duty you have as a police officer. You may be the last bastion of what's right when things go wrong."

"There's a saying," Officer Major said, "that to fight a devil you have to be a devil. That's not necessarily true."