NY Police Move to Bond Mend Fences with Gay Community
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| NYC Mounted Police |
Inside the brick fortress near the Brooklyn Bridge that is 1 Police Plaza, the headquarters of the New York Police Department, the auditorium is a place where officers come for jubilant events, where cadets are sworn in and where members of the force shake the hand of the commissioner after a promotion.
And on Wednesday, officers marched in with the flags of the United States, New York City and the rainbow colors of gay pride for a gathering that was also one of celebration, if tinged with mourning.
It was the first time in more than a decade, organizers said, that the Gay Officers Action League of New York has had a community gathering for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. The event was planned before the mass shooting at a gay nightclub this week in Orlando, Fla., but the tragedy added a poignancy to it.
It was an opportunity, organizers said, to improve a sometimes strained relationship with the city’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and show that the city had a diverse force that included officers who shared similar experiences.
Brian Downey, a detective and the president of the league since January, noted that there were officers who had been shunned by their families for their sexual orientation, or who had struggled to come out to their friends and colleagues. There have been transgender officers who transitioned while on the job.
“They need to see us,” said Detective Downey, who has been with the Police Department for more than eight years. “They need to see the out and proud members of the department.”
William J. Bratton, the police commissioner, said it was his hope that “everyone who lives, works and plays in the city feels comfortable approaching a New York City police officer, and is treated with compassion, with care and with attention.”
The league, established in 1982, has about 2,000 members from the Police Department, federal law enforcement and other agencies.
“We are a beautiful mosaic inside the Police Department,” Detective Downey said, “that represents that beautiful mosaic that is the city of New York.”
There were references throughout the night to progress and to how much the city and the department have evolved over the decades, with officers trained to interact with gay people with awareness and sensitivity.
But Detective Downey acknowledged the tensions that have existed between the department and gay people, and he said he hoped the discussions fueled by the Orlando shooting could bring about an improved connection. “I think it’s not as strong as it could be, and I think it’s not as strong as it should be,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can and we’ll do more.”
Some officers expressed fears about joining the profession because of their sexual identity.
Over the years, accusations of discrimination have been leveled against the department, and some officers have brought lawsuits against it because they believed that their careers had been impaired or that they had been harassed because of their orientation or identity.
“I had a certain idea of what the Police Department was like, a pretty ignorant idea, and I thought it was going to be a lot worse,” said Carl Locke, a detective who joined the Police Department 15 years ago.
Brooke Bukowski, a patrol officer in the Sixth Precinct in Greenwich Village, said she had thought that being a police officer would not even be an option for her as a transgender woman. She has been with the department for five years, patrolling in East New York and Flatbush in Brooklyn before taking the Manhattan assignment.
“It’s really like a nonissue, especially when they see you’re a hard-working officer,” Officer Bukowski said.
“I am transgender, that’s who I am,” she added. “But on the day to day, I just want to be seen as a good cop.”
New York Times
A version of this article appears in print on June 16, 2016, on page A19 of the New York edition with the headline: Police Move to Fix Bond With Gay New Yorkers.
And on Wednesday, officers marched in with the flags of the United States, New York City and the rainbow colors of gay pride for a gathering that was also one of celebration, if tinged with mourning.
It was the first time in more than a decade, organizers said, that the Gay Officers Action League of New York has had a community gathering for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. The event was planned before the mass shooting at a gay nightclub this week in Orlando, Fla., but the tragedy added a poignancy to it.
It was an opportunity, organizers said, to improve a sometimes strained relationship with the city’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and show that the city had a diverse force that included officers who shared similar experiences.
Brian Downey, a detective and the president of the league since January, noted that there were officers who had been shunned by their families for their sexual orientation, or who had struggled to come out to their friends and colleagues. There have been transgender officers who transitioned while on the job.
“They need to see us,” said Detective Downey, who has been with the Police Department for more than eight years. “They need to see the out and proud members of the department.”
William J. Bratton, the police commissioner, said it was his hope that “everyone who lives, works and plays in the city feels comfortable approaching a New York City police officer, and is treated with compassion, with care and with attention.”
The league, established in 1982, has about 2,000 members from the Police Department, federal law enforcement and other agencies.
“We are a beautiful mosaic inside the Police Department,” Detective Downey said, “that represents that beautiful mosaic that is the city of New York.”
There were references throughout the night to progress and to how much the city and the department have evolved over the decades, with officers trained to interact with gay people with awareness and sensitivity.
But Detective Downey acknowledged the tensions that have existed between the department and gay people, and he said he hoped the discussions fueled by the Orlando shooting could bring about an improved connection. “I think it’s not as strong as it could be, and I think it’s not as strong as it should be,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can and we’ll do more.”
Some officers expressed fears about joining the profession because of their sexual identity.
Over the years, accusations of discrimination have been leveled against the department, and some officers have brought lawsuits against it because they believed that their careers had been impaired or that they had been harassed because of their orientation or identity.
“I had a certain idea of what the Police Department was like, a pretty ignorant idea, and I thought it was going to be a lot worse,” said Carl Locke, a detective who joined the Police Department 15 years ago.
Brooke Bukowski, a patrol officer in the Sixth Precinct in Greenwich Village, said she had thought that being a police officer would not even be an option for her as a transgender woman. She has been with the department for five years, patrolling in East New York and Flatbush in Brooklyn before taking the Manhattan assignment.
“It’s really like a nonissue, especially when they see you’re a hard-working officer,” Officer Bukowski said.
“I am transgender, that’s who I am,” she added. “But on the day to day, I just want to be seen as a good cop.”
New York Times
A version of this article appears in print on June 16, 2016, on page A19 of the New York edition with the headline: Police Move to Fix Bond With Gay New Yorkers.
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