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Atlanta Police Department

Policy Manual

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standard Operating

Procedure

 

Effective Date

April 15, 2011

 

APD.SOP.6170

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Liaison Unit

 

Applicable To: All employees

Approval Authority:  Chief George N. Turner

Signature:  Signed by GNT

Date Signed:  4/12/11

       
  Table of Contents    
 

 1.          PURPOSE  PAGEREF _Toc290461245 \h 1

2.          POLICY   PAGEREF _Toc290461246 \h 1

3.          RESPONSIBILITIES  PAGEREF _Toc290461247 \h 1

4.          ACTION  PAGEREF _Toc290461248 \h 2

4.1           Duties of the LGBT Liaison  PAGEREF _Toc290461249 \h 2

4.2           Special Events and Significant Incidents  PAGEREF _Toc290461250 \h 2

 

4.3           Community Seminars and Employee Training  PAGEREF _Toc290461251 \h 3

4.4           Interaction with the Media  PAGEREF _Toc290461252 \h 3

5.          DEFINITIONS  PAGEREF _Toc290461253 \h 4

6.          CANCELLATIONS  PAGEREF _Toc290461254 \h 4

7.          REFERENCES  PAGEREF _Toc290461255 \h 4

 

 

1.               PURPOSE      

 

This directive establishes the guidelines and operating procedures for the LGBT Liaison Unit and departmental employees’ interaction with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals, community, and employees of the Atlanta Police Department.

 

2.               POLICY

 

The Atlanta Police Department is committed to establishing, providing and maintaining a direct channel of communication to address and resolve matters pertaining to the LGBT community and to LGBT employees of the Atlanta Police Department.  The LGBT Liaison shall provide an internal source of support to employees on LGBT matters.  The LGBT Liaison shall promote cooperation between the Atlanta Police Department and the community, while taking a leading role in building a vital link between the police and the LGBT community.  To that aim, the unit shall collaborate with community leaders, residents and businesses within the City of Atlanta to design and implement public safety projects and programs.

 

3.               RESPONSIBILITIES

 

3.1              The Chief of Police is responsible for the Department’s written directive system.  This responsibility includes the authority to issue, modify and approve special orders and standard operating procedures pertaining to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Liaison Unit. 

 

3.2              The Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander or their designee shall monitor the implementation of this written directive and review the monthly and annual reports on LGBT Liaison Unit activities, and significant incidents and events pertaining to the LGBT community.  The Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander or their designee shall ensure the LGBT Liaison Unit is responsive to the LGBT community and keep Departmental Commanders informed of LGBT significant events and incidents occurring in their area of responsibility.

 

3.3              The LGBT Liaison Unit shall request crime data from the Crime Analysis Unit regarding incidents identified as bias and hate crimes against any person in the LGBT community.

 

3.4              The Central Records Unit shall be responsible for providing the LGBT Liaison Unit with copies of all bias and hate crime reports and incidents against any person of the LGBT community.

 

3.5              All Commanders shall actively ensure that all incidents of bias and hate crime against any person of the LGBT community are reported to the LGBT Liaison Unit within 24 hours of occurrence.

 

3.6              The LGBT Liaison position(s) shall be fulfilled by APD sworn personnel appointed by the Chief of Police and assigned to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) of the Community Services Division (CSD). The appointee(s) shall be responsible for adhering to this written directive and ensuring a productive working relationship between the Atlanta Police Department and the LGBT community within the scope of their law enforcement duties. 

 

3.7              All police personnel are responsible for ensuring that members of the LGBT community are treated with professionalism and respect, while actively working to identify crimes affecting the LGBT community’s quality of life. 

 

3.8              Sworn personnel responding to a suspected bias or hate crime scene against any person of the LGBT community shall make contact with the LGBT Liaison Unit and inform them of their findings.  In instances of suspected bias or hate crime, the LGBT Liaison shall follow-up with the responding officer and/or investigator, on the scene, via telephone or in person.

 

3.9              Communications is responsible for notifying the LGBT Liaison Unit when requested by a responding officer and/or investigator.

 

4.               ACTION

 

4.1              Duties of the LGBT Liaison

 

4.1.1           The LGBT Liaison shall, at all times, represent the Atlanta Police Department at LGBT social and community advocacy functions in a professional and courteous manner.

 

4.1.2           The LGBT Liaison shall identify, through crime data and patrol efforts, areas where bias and hate crimes against the LGBT community have occurred and inform the LGBT community through awareness seminars.

 

4.1.3           Upon responding to the scene of a critical incident, the LGBT Liaison shall adhere to their sworn duties and Departmental procedures when responding to a crime scene.

 

4.2              Special Events and Significant Incidents

 

4.2.1           The LGBT Liaison shall provide the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander, or their designee, the information for LGBT-related events. They shall make arrangements to attend these functions

 

4.2.2           The LGBT Liaison shall monitor statistical and reporting data regarding bias and hate crimes against the LGBT community and relay significant changes to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander and the LGBT community

 

4.3              Community Seminars and Employee Training

 

4.3.1           The LGBT Liaison Unit shall conduct crime prevention and business safety seminars in the City of Atlanta, particularly in neighborhoods where LGBT businesses and residents are concentrated.  An agenda of these seminars shall be submitted to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander for approval prior to the event.

 

4.3.2           Any Seminar conducted outside of the City of Atlanta must receive prior approval from the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander or their designee.

 

4.3.3           LGBT Liaison Unit and the Hispanic Liaison Officer shall provide bilingual crime-prevention information and programs to the LGBT community.

 

4.3.4           The LGBT Liaison Unit shall provide, on a quarterly basis, training and educational material to all sworn personnel to educate them about working with the LGBT community. The training material shall emphasize identifying elements of bias and hate crime and their prevention through information attained during field contacts, traffic stops, search and seizures, and interviews.

 

4.3.5           The LGBT Liaison Unit shall host meetings to allow business owners, residents, and community activists to meet with officials from their neighborhood precincts.

 

4.4              Interaction with the Media    

 

4.4.1           The LGBT Liaison Unit, with the approval of the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander or their designee, shall participate in requested media-sponsored forums. These forums may include, but are not limited to, radio talk shows, television interviews, print media interviews, town meetings, press conferences and briefings

 

4.4.2           The LGBT Liaison Unit shall notify the Public Affairs Unit of any information that needs to be disseminated regarding crime prevention initiatives and proactive police activities related to the LGBT community.  The Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander, or their designee, shall approve any press releases prior to their publication.

 

4.5              Documentation and Report Requirements

 

4.5.1           The LGBT Liaison Unit shall document all bias and hate crimes, brought to their attention, committed against the LGBT community, its individuals or businesses.  This documentation shall be forwarded to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander and the Commander of the affected work site.

 

4.5.2           The LGBT Liaison Unit shall be responsible for submitting a monthly report to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander or their designee, documenting the location, date, and times of all community meetings attended; the names of any business owners met, along with the dates, time, purpose of the meeting, any incidents emerging in the LGBT community, and any other information the LGBT Liaison deems significant. The monthly report shall be due by the 7th day of the month.

 

4.5.3           The LGBT Liaison Unit shall complete a year-end report, which shall provide a comprehensive overview of the activities of the LGBT Liaison Unit; a review of any significant incidents involving the LGBT community, a summary of criminal activity impacting the LGBT community, and a plan of action for the upcoming year. This report shall be submitted to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander by January 31st. 

 

4.5.4           The LGBT Annual Report shall be submitted to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) Commander, the Planning and Research Unit and The Office of Professional Standards.  The report shall be retained on file for five consecutive years and subsequently shredded.

 

5.               DEFINITIONS

 

5.1              Bias and Hate Crime: Criminal offenses motivated in part or singularly by a personal prejudice against others because of diversity: race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, or disability.

 

5.2              Bias and Hate Crime Data: Data on incidents which involve any criminal offence that has been identified as a possible bias and hate crime.

 

5.3              Bisexuality:  Sexual behavior or physical attraction to both sexes (male & female), or a bisexual orientation.

 

5.4              Gay:  Reference to people, practices, and culture associated with homosexuality.

 

5.5              LGBT:  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.

 

5.6              Lesbian: A terminology most often used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females.

 

5.7              Sexual Orientation: A sexual attraction towards members of one’s own sex or opposite sex (e.g. gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and heterosexual).

 

5.8              Transgender: A general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies that diverge from normative gender role (woman or man) commonly, but not always assigned at birth, as well as gender roles traditionally held by society. Transgender is also the state of one’s gender identity not matching one assigned sex.

 

5.9              COPS: Community Oriented Policing Section of the Community Services Division of the Atlanta Police Department.

 

5.10            CSD: Community Services Division of the Atlanta Police Department.

 

6.               CANCELLATIONS

 

                  APD.SOP.6170 “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Liaison Unit”

                  effective November 18, 2009

 

7.               REFERENCES

 

                  APD .SOP 3066 “Bias Crime Data Reporting,” signed July 27, 2009

                  APD .SOP 3080 “General Procedures,” signed November 29, 2010