Boston police cruiser.
Credit: File photo
The Boston Police Department has new guidelines for the way officers should interact with transgender people.
On Tuesday the department announced that it issued guidelines for police contact with transgender individuals.
“The policy of the Boston Police Department is to treat all individuals with dignity, respect, and professionalism. Officers shall at all times abide by Boston Police Department Rule 102 §9 (Respectful Treatment), as well as the City of Boston Office of Human Resources’ ‘Guidelines to Prevent Gender Identity Discrimination’ when interacting with transgender individuals,” the policy states.
Some of the new guidelines include using the pronoun preferred by the person and giving preference to the person to chose whether a male or female officer conducts a pat frisk or search. A “statement of search preference form” must now be completed by the transgender person.
The police was updated with the assistance of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and the department’s LGBT liaison.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
