I’m part Hispanic myself, and have plenty of cousins in CA. So we’re kinda paisan. ;)

And thanks for joining us here! Many of us in this town have been informed by the Blade and Lou Chibbaro for a very long time, now. So we’re not terribly surprised the Blade’s reporting casts such a long shadow.

I think you ARE EXACTLY the kind of LGBT experienced talent Chief Lanier should be recruiting to MPD! As I’ve noted before, DC attracts the best of the best from around the nation. You sound like you’d fit right in.

However, I must note, MPD already has many LGBT officers serving quietly in the Department– and a number of us are increasingly concerned for their welfare and fair treatment under Chief Lanier’s management. Indeed, IMO, this Chief’s off-with-your-head management style has not served MPD’s officers well, whatever their sexual orientation, identity or expression… nor the public safety of this city.

This Chief refuses to take responsibility for the pernicious fear and real public safety injuries her years-long effort to dismantle and degrade GLLU has inflicted upon DC’s LGBT community. Whatever the Chiefs’ intentions, the de facto quiet, implied message that has sent to MPD’s rank and file — again, FOR YEARS — is that policing for LGBT residents and LGBT visitors doesn’t really matter.

It might go something like this for too many within MPD…

“Hey, you MPD patrols out on DC’s streets… Don’t increase MPD’s great crime stats — especially with those high-profile LGBT hate crimes, if you can avoid it. And if you can’t avoid it, and don’t understand the confusing signals and hints from your ‘higher authorities’ — do be warned, you just might be the first blamed and thrown under the bus. We can’t have the political image of your Chief(s) on high besmirched.”

And this Chief won’t even recognize the problem, AS a problem. Obviously, the Chief would have to take some command/ policy responsibility for the many incidents — hate crime vandalisms, stalkings, violent personal assaults and murders her reckless policy and inadequate efforts have produced, year after year.

We should note, this Chief did not even stand up forthrightly and report to DC’s residents directly, both LGBT and straight, the news of this terrible incident. Apparently, this news was deliberately held back, and then leaked, selectively — enlisting and/or co-opting members of the LGBT community, quite innocently on their part — to break the news somewhat gently to the LGBT community ONLY.

Being breaking news, and the only available account, MPD’s news management did result in as favorable an initial report of this Chief’s efforts in response, as could be had.

That’s hardly unethical public relations ‘news management’ for a corporation selling soap or cars. However, IMO, we should all think about the implications of such media manipulation and selective news dissemination– especially when it is directed by MPD, the very law enforcement organization responsible for keeping ALL DC citizens and visitors safe from criminal injury and death.

Dee, FYI, for DC LGBT residents, the Chief’s familiar lame excuses and not-credible promises to serve and protect LGBT people, maybe next time, have become an annual refrain. DC’s Chief of Police can no longer be trusted by far too many in the LGBT community, in the opinion of a growing number of us.

But don’t let that discourage you, Dee. Our nation’s capital has more LE departments and agencies than any other city in the free world. Times are tough. But DC has always made room for another dedicated professional.

Keep at it– and good luck!

I am 1st generation American. I have two first cousins in L.E. at the city and county levels as Sgts here in CA. In the 1940′s three “immigrant” brothers came over in the 1940s from Mexico. One son from each brother became officers here in California at the state, county, and city levels! Two served their new country in the U.S. Marines during Vietnam and I served in the Air Force as a Cold War combat-trained warrior in what is now called Security Forces http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRhKM4M8H3o . I am not active in L.E. but my dream is to return in my new physical gender! At 50, (51 next month) I still am healthy and able. I am so appalled at what is going on relative to crime and the LGBT community that I wish I were there in uniform now. I think Chief Lanier and the D.C Police should step up and recruit someone just like me right about now..don’t u think? In fact I suggested exactly this…because the D.C dept’s credibility relative to LGBT interaction can’t go lower than the rock bottom it already finds itself in. A Police Dept is only as credible as the people of which it is comprised. I will never know what its like to be another race than Hispanic, although I am perceived as being caucasian which genetically I am. Likewise, a non-LGBT person will never really know our struggles. Being bisexual, Hispanic, and transgender, I understand them very well. Whether I or another, the D.C. Dept must, without delay, actively recruit LGBT officers. Their credibility depends on it. A department must represtent internally, the public it serves externally…period…exclamation mark.

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/08/08/police-chief-says-officers-could-be-fired-for-refusing-to-take-report-in-anti-lesbian-attack/

As we have been in denial about that simple truism, the Chief of Police has been able to play the LGBT community, including some of its best young activists, like a fine violin for going on five years now.

The DE FACTO institutional homophobia, transphobia and culture of discrimination against LGBT residents we see and have seen evident periodically throughout MPD for the last four and half years is A DIRECT RESULT of the willful policies, directives and communications of the Chief of Police (Lanier) and the Assistant Chief of Police for Patrol Services (Groomes).

Once again, these CHIEFS have not stood up and taken responsibility for their utter failure to extend something like the now-shattered GLLU policing of yesteryear throughout MPD’s districts.

Jeri and a growing number LGBT residents are recognizing and exposing these Chiefs’ “explanations” and carefully constructed excuses — for many such crimes and discriminatory conduct over the years of their failure to serve and protect LGBT residents. Moreover, Jeri has recognized the subtler ways these MPD chiefs obfuscate, stall, stonewall and/or co-opt LGBT residents and their activists.

Communicating with MPD under this Chief is like communicating with full length mirrored panels mounted to a brick wall. The Chief is masterful at reflecting what LGBT activists want to hear and selling them on the notion that she is doing something, but none of us really get through her hidden wall of institutional discrimination. All LGBT activists should keep this in mind, and take care to preserve their integrity and credibility.

Peter Rosenstein correctly notes the cornerstone issue with which this Chief has reconstructed a wall of de facto anti-LGBT discrimination: a fully staffed (7) core GLLU unit of SPECIALISTS — permitting a continuity of LGBT policing services and coverage, nearly 24/7/365, throughout the city.

From her earliest days, this Chief of Police has persisted in her efforts to all but destroy GLLU’s core unit, as well as respect for GLLU among MPD’s line commanders and rank and file officers.

Chief Lanier is an incredibly intelligent human being. For any of us who have communicated directly with her, to any reasonable extent at all, does anyone really believe she is too slow to get the fact that her repeated actions of contempt for GLLU sends anything but a quiet message of tacit indifference to anti-LGBT discrimination throughout MPD’s ranks?

Peter also implies a partial legislative solution, whether he intended to or not. It could be implemented rather quickly one would think. The Council can mandate a fully staffed core GLLU unit.

Why don’t we call upon those Council leaders who filled out GLAA’s voter information surveys re. GLLU to fulfill the spirit of their promises, and do just that?

That anecdote was just to illustrate how Chief Lanier appears to abruptly move MPD commands around, often without any explanation to residents of MPD districts, who come to know their respective commanders, and who can strongly disagree with Chief Lanier’s unexplained command moves.

It is part of a wider problem with the way this Chief handles effective MPD news/ information dissemination with residents and stakeholders throughout the District, IMO. That includes what appears to be a penchant for selective MPD news manipulation.

Nothing in that last paragraph, however, should be considered as criticism of our relatively new, and so far, apparently very capable 5D commander, Andy Solberg. Solberg and his command was obviously well-liked by 2D residents, as he is becoming very well-liked for his command of 5D (NE).