DeKalb committee defers vote on LGBTQ+ police liaison resolution for 30 days

The IRPS committee heard a presentation from the DeKalb County District Attorney's office and the police chief on a resolution asking the county to implement an LGBTQ+ police liaison position and require hate-crimes identification training.

District Attorney Boston said the DA's office has already created a victim-advocate position that functions as a liaison for LGBTQ+ victims, described outreach at community events and said the office has invested in training and an advocate who focuses on that community. "We did create a position for a victim advocate in our office who serves as the liaison for the LGBTQ+ community," she said, adding the office has 33 victim advocates and offers multilingual services.

The police chief described current resources, saying the department has a Special Victims Unit that handles many hate-crime investigations and that "all of our officers receive the hate crime training," with SVU receiving additional advanced training depending on the case.

Commissioners debated whether a single-group liaison or a broader multi-liaison strategy is appropriate. One commissioner moved to deny the resolution citing limited resources and a preference to provide liaison coverage across multiple groups; that motion failed for lack of a second. Sponsor Commissioner Ted Terry then agreed to rework the proposal into a request that the police department develop a strategy for liaison positions across communities. The committee voted to defer item 2025-1107 for 30 days with instructions to the sponsor to circulate a revised resolution.

What happens next

Commissioner Terry said he would draft a revised resolution asking the police department to develop a liaison strategy and recommended community input sessions; staff will return the item to IRPS within 30 days.