BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Boise Police Department says appointing an officer to serve as a LGBT liaison has helped rebuild trust inside the community.
The Idaho Statesman (https://bit.ly/1TaAnEI) reports that the police department appointed patrol officer Dan Lister nearly a year ago.
Police Chief Bill Bones says he created the position to alleviate mistrust of police, particularly among those hesitant to report crimes for fear of poor police treatment.
So far, Bones says the department has received positive feedback.
“It’s not, ’Oh, no, the police are here,’ ” Bones said. “But we know we still have work to do. You don’t just change 200 years of discrimination.”
Lister says he’s met with various LGBT groups to explain his role and field questions.
Boise has a low number of LBGT residents reporting crimes, ranging from severe to the so-called everyday crimes, Bones said. The low numbers led him to research the role of liaison officers in cities like Seattle, San Francisco and Portland.
“If crimes are happening and not being reported, then we’re not serving, and that’s not acceptable,” Lister said.
The department has also appointed liaisons for the local NAACP and the Latino community. In addition, the department has had a refugee outreach officer for close to a decade.
Activists have been fighting for more than a decade to persuade lawmakers to add the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to Idaho’s Human Rights Act. The law already bans discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion and national origin in situations like housing or employment.
Currently, 12 cities have enacted their own local anti-discrimination ordinances. Nineteen states have passed anti-discrimination laws that include sexual-orientation and gender-identity protections.
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Information from: Idaho Statesman, https://www.idahostatesman.com
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