Transgender Reforms Announced for NYPD Patrol Guide

[La Lioness Priyanka]

http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2012/06/13/transgender-reforms-announced-nypd-patrol-guide

According to a news release from the City Council, the changes “create a written policy for the NYPD to follow when addressing, processing, searching and housing gender non-conforming people.” The patrol guide is the procedural book issued to officers that lays out regulations for dealing with the public. The updated guide formally outlines that city law prohibits discrimination or harassment based on actual or perceived gender.

“The NYPD’s new Patrol Guide makes it clear that all people must be treated with respect,” said Speaker Christine Quinn in a statement. “I applaud Commissioner Kelly for working closely with the City Council and the LGBT community to create respectful, inclusive guidelines that are appropriate for transgender New Yorkers, and I thank the NYPD LGBT Advisory Panel for their work to make these changes.”

The nation’s largest law enforcement agency has been repeatedly criticized for inappropriate and abusive treatment of transgender people in its custody. A transgender woman filed a lawsuit this year alleging that she was called a “He-She” after her arrest and attached to a fence with her arm in an uncomfortable elevated position for over a day. A transgender man last year said that he was chained to a wall for eight hours after being brought to a station following his arrest during Occupy Wall Street.

[sgsmith]

1. My only interaction with NYPD went fine

I was in the NY metro for work and had the opportunity to go to the city for a day. Parked somewhere near the Lincoln tunnel and wandered around Times Square. Made it up to the theater where "Wicked" was playing, stood in the will call line for a couple of hours, got ticket to 8th row stage center, enjoyed the play and decided to call it a day.

Unfortunately, I had spent most of my cash and didn't have enough for the bridge off Manhattan. Which meant I had to give my DL to the nice NYPD officer so I could get a pay the fine ticket mailed to my home. After going through the "I need your DL ma'am", "sorry, that's still my legal identification" dance, his parting comment was something along the lines of "Please update your license ma'am." Absolutely no problem being trans.