WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today announced the release of Gender, Sexuality, and 21st Century Policing: Protecting the Rights of the LGBTQ+ Community. The report is a summary of the July 2016 forum hosted in partnership with Strategic Applications International (SAI) in which law enforcement leaders and members of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups came together to discuss the relationship between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community.

The forum was centered around recommendations from the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, specifically those related to search and seizure procedures for members of the LGBTQ+ and transgender populations and the adoption of policies prohibiting profiling and discrimination. Participants offered suggestions to update current and develop new policies related to recruitment, hiring, training, communications, and outreach.

“I commend the participants of the Gender, Sexuality, and 21st Century Policing forum for their willingness to provide insight into the sometimes challenging relationships between members of the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement,” said COPS Office Director Ronald Davis. “It is the responsibility of all those sworn to serve and protect, to do just that – serve and protect all of the nation’s populations. This report offers thoughtful recommendations to help bridge the gap and improve relationships and trust between these two groups.”

The report offers recommendations related to data collection and analysis; policy development and implementation; policy implementation audits and evaluation; community access and partnerships; recruitment and internal support for LGBTQ+ officers; and officer education and training. Gender, Sexuality, and 21st Century Policing: Protecting the Rights of the LGBTQ+ Community is available here: http://ric-zai-inc.com/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0837.

The COPS Office, headed by Director Ronald Davis, is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 129,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance.

For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.