Philadelphia PD unveil updated policy for interacting with transgender, nonbinary people
By: Chris Palmer, The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Police Department has updated its policy on how officers should treat transgender and nonbinary people, making its policy among “the most progressive” in the nation, city officials announced Tuesday.
The changes — which were presented to officers earlier this year — were announced at a City Hall news conference during a month in which the department has been under heavy criticism after hundreds of cops were accused of posting offensive or intolerant material on Facebook. The scandal has led to 72 cops being benched, and protesters have called the department a safe haven for bigotry.
That subtext was not mentioned during the news conference. Deja Lynn Alvarez, a transgender woman who chairs the Police Department’s LGBT liaison committee, said that LGBTQ people had previously suffered “horrible” treatment from city cops, but called the policy changes “monumental,” and praised the city and department for working with community members to draft them.
