The Chief of the Portland Police Department and other members of the force met at USM Thursday with over 30 members of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to discuss how the police could better serve their needs and continue to do their part in making Portland a safe place for LGBT people.
Attendees raised concerns ranging from the handling of domestic violence in same-sex couples by police, to how the police could reach out to survivors of hate crimes who aren’t openly gay.
The forum, hosted at USM by the Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity, was attended largely by members of the greater Portland LGBT community, although many USM students were in attendance as well.
Meaghan Martin, a sophomore helping to start a Queer-Straight Alliance at USM said she found the Portland police to be supportive of the LGBT community. “I was at the Pride Parade for the first time last year, and I noticed police officers marching with us,” said Martin. “It shows you they’re there.”
Sarah Holmes, program coordinator for the Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity said while she considers Portland to be a fairly safe city for its LGBT inhabitants, like any city it is not without its faults. “I think it’s harder for more marginalized members of our community,” said Holmes. “There are a lot of queer youth that are homeless, or who have housing insecurity, and that can definitely be challenging.”
Although the attendees’ concerns varied, the main theme brought up by police was how to get community members to be more comfortable reporting crimes. “When we have a good working relationship with you, you will be more likely to report crimes,” said Portland Chief of Police James Craig. “If we don’t [have] dialogue, we know that there will be crimes that go unreported.”
The meeting is the third of its kind and had far more in attendance than the previous meetings, which took place in the fall and early summer. The Police Department’s attempt to reach out to the LGBT community is overseen by the Community Police Advisory Board, which has organized forums with other communities within Portland, such as business owners, youth, and members of the clergy. According to a message from Craig to the greater Portland community, the intent of the forums is to create dialogue between the police and community members.
One result of previous meetings between police the LGBT community is the creation of a police liaison to the LGBT community, a position created in September and given to Officer Alissa Poisson, one of only several openly gay members of the force. Poisson said one of the most important parts of her job as liaison is to make sure officers have training about LGBT issues.
Chief Craig was joined by Assistant Chief of Police Mike Sauschuck, who presented statistics on hate crimes in Portland. In 2009 there were three reported hate-related incidents involving sexual orientation in Portland, leading to two arrests. Two incidents in 2010 led to one arrest. Sauschuck acknowledged that the figures were almost certainly lower than the true number of incidents.
Also in attendance was Todd Difede, FBI supervisory agent for Maine, who gave a brief presentation on the FBI’s efforts to combat hate violence.
Craig worked as an officer for many years in Southern California, one of the most diverse areas of the country. However, when it comes to diverse communities living harmoniously together, Craig said Portland is like few places he has seen. “I look at Portland as a very tolerant, warm, welcoming place,” said Craig. “Portland does it right.”