By Ken Craig
Chief Greg Suhr with the SFPD Pride Alliance Officer at the SF Pride Parade
Without a doubt, the relationship between the LGBT community and the law enforcement community in the past has been anything but warm and friendly. There have been well documented moments of outright hostility between both communities, and for some long time San Francisco residents, old wounds heal slowly. Many new transplants to the city by the Bay fare no better as prior harsh experiences with law enforcement personnel in their former home towns continue to linger in their expectations of how the SFPD will act and treat them.
In truth, the SFPD in 2013 is a far cry from the SFPD during Harvey Milk’s day, and it’s even a very different animal than it was a mere ten years ago. The department under Chief Greg Suhr continues to reach out to the LGBT community, and many others, to ensure they provide equitable protection and enforcement for all. What many fail to realize is that the department is undergoing a fundamental change at the present time, with more than 150 new officers being trained over the next two years, and a number of officers retiring from the force after 20 plus years of service. The SFPD workforce is changing, and their outlook and policies are changing likewise.
In my role as the Chair of the SFPD Chief’s LGBT Community Advisory Forum I meet with Chief Suhr once a quarter and I can call him or e-mail him at any time when a concern or suggestion arises that he needs to know about. Our forum consists of nine volunteer community members and leaders from all over San Francisco, representing various organizations and many segments of our LGBT community. In the three years we have been in place we have worked closely with Chief Suhr and every one of his Command staff members on numerous projects which we truly feel benefit the LGBT community and San Francisco as a whole.
We encouraged the SFPD Pride Alliance group of officers to produce an “It Gets Better” video, resulting the the SFPD being the first major U.S. law enforcement department to do so – quickly followed suit by other departments. Chief Suhr spoke at the beginning of the video and numerous officers from the Pride Alliance group were represented. This was an important message for our LGBT youth, not only in San Francisco, but around the world.
http://www.sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=3763&recordid=306
We worked for a year in developing the LGBT SAFE ZONE project, which establishes a protocol for all police stations and officers, ensuring members of the LGBT community can ask for an LGBT Liaison officer when making a report. This may alleviate some of the long held concerns and fears many within the LGBT community have about talking with police or reporting certain crimes for fear of ridicule, not being taken seriously, or simply that the officer taking the report will not respect or understand their particular lifestyle. The SAFE ZONE begins to address many of these concerns and will only get better over time.
We developed the SFPD Community Partners project to encourage more reporting of crimes and incidents by marginalized and fearful communities. Working closely with community groups, the program encourages organizations already embedded in those marginalized communities to act as liaisons and supportive individuals to victims. The Community Partners can seek preemptive answers to particular concerns, and can accompany victims to make formal reports or can request LGBT liaison officers to meet the victim in a neutral location in order for a report to be taken. All SFPD stations and officers will work closely and collaboratively with the Community Partner organizations to reinforce the “Sanctuary City” concept, and to prosecute crimes against victims within all marginalized communities.
Officer Broderick Elton, an out and rightfully proud FTM who transitioned while on the force, is the SFPD Transgender liaison officer and is currently providing the sensitivity training for the in-coming police cadets at the Academy on Amber Drive. Deputy Commander Denise Schmitt is the highest ranking out lesbian officer in the force and the Pride Alliance group of LGBT officers is one of the largest in the country.
Like any large organization, there a outstanding officers and a few bad apples in the barrel. There likely remains a few of the “old guard” who don’t adapt well to change and fail to recognize the new requirements and needs of community policing in the new department. Rest assured that every SFPD Command level officer and every Captain I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with on the matter is fully on board with Chief Suhr and the inclusive approach.
I encourage everyone to attend your local monthly Captains meeting and get to know the senior officers in your division. Join us at the Chief’s LGBT Community Advisory Forum once a month. We actually travel the city, hosting our meetings at a different police station throughout the year, with four meetings at the Hall of Justice with the Chief himself.
The SFPD in 2013 is much more friendly, understanding and compassionate towards members of the LGBT community than perhaps history suggests it used to be in my own opinion. I hope, if you give them the chance, they may prove to be the same to you.
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Ken Craig serves as the Chair of the SFPD Chief’s LGBT Community Advisory Forum and is also Chief of the not for profit Community Patrol USA organization and Vice Chair of the Castro Community On Patrol organization. Contact Ken at KenCraig@CommunityPatrolUSA.org
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