SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Sioux City Police Department has named its first liaison to the LGBTQ community.
The department announced April 5 that Officer Brooke Davies has taken the position to promote communication and cooperation between the police and individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, the Sioux City Journal reported.
Davies joined the department in August 2012 and is currently assigned to the special traffic enforcement program.
Chief Doug Young said the position is an extension of the department’s community policing approach, which attempts to build relationships with local neighborhoods and minorities. He said it’s a move other police departments around the country have made.
“Through our community policing efforts, we’re reaching out to all different segments of our community, and this is a segment that we’ve never reached out to before,” he said. “We live in a diverse community, and we’re here to serve everybody.”
Karen Mackey, director of Sioux City’s Human Rights department, said discussions about naming a liaison to the LGBTQ community began last summer. The new post will help those who identify as LGBTQ and are victims of crimes feel more comfortable approaching the police, she said.
“Historically as LGBT people, we have not had good relationships with the police. That isn’t specific to Sioux City,” she said. “I think that’s always a positive thing, if people can have a point of contact.”
