A new report released by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law documents ongoing and pervasive discrimination and harassment by law enforcement in the LGBT community, especially among LGBT people of color and transgender individuals, according to a press release.
Among the key findings in "Discrimination and Harassment by Law Enforcement Officers in the LGBT Community" was that nearly half ( 48 percent ) of the LGBT violence survivors who interacted with police reported that they had experienced police misconduct, including unjustified arrest, use of excessive force and entrapment.
Also, nearly half ( 46 percent ) of transgender respondents in a national survey reported being uncomfortable seeking police assistance, 22 percent reported that they had been harassed by law enforcement because of bias and 6 percent reported having been physically assaulted by an officer. The report also includes specific incidents of harassment/discrimination dating back to 2002.
Regarding Chicago, the police department was mentioned among those with nondiscrimination and zero-tolerance harassment policies. Also, the report says that "Police departments in Chicago, Philadelphia, Santa Barbara and Michigan have implemented sexual orientation- and gender identity-specific trainings in a variety of contexts."
To address such discrimination and to improve effective policing more generally in the United States, President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing issued recommendations to build stronger and more collaborative relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
The report is at http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/LGBT-Discrimination-and-Harassment-in-Law-Enforcement-March-2015.pdf.
See more at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Study-Discrimination-by-law-enforcement-toward-LGBTs-pervasive-/50758.html .