MIAMI -- Miami-Dade police officials plan to include in their 2009 handbook a note about how to respond to calls about ritual animal sacrifices.
The decision comes a year after Coral Gables officers raided a home where practitioners of Santeria were slaughtering goats, chickens and pigeons. Several worshippers were held at gunpoint and detained for hours.
The entry will remind county officers that federal and state laws protect people's freedom to practice religion.
The move was hailed by those who practice Santeria, a blend of traditional African religions and Catholicism. Followers of the faith believe in spiritual forces whose survival depends on blood sacrifices.
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