Chief Lanier addresses recent questions about GLLU

Fellow activist Peter Rosenstein and I received the following email message earlier today from D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, in response to concerns we expressed about the Metropolitan Police Department's Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit:

As you are aware, for over a year we have been preparing to roll out our expanded Special Liaison Units (SLU) to all divisions within the department - beginning with the Patrol Services Bureau. This roll out is now underway. As previously discussed, the first step was to move the SLU under the command of the Patrol Services Bureau, since the core of the expansion will be in Patrol. As promised, I have left the core SLU Liaison Officers in a centralized location so they can coordinate citywide issues as we begin the expansion. The Central SLU will maintain a direct line of communication with A/C Groomes as well as my office. All of the calls to the duty pager are now received by the Lieutenant responsible for managing the centralized SLU, who then notifies the appropriate member if a response is required. No one has been prohibited from responding to a situation that demands a specialized liaison member.

There has been a lot of talk in reference to the perception that resources are being taken away from the GLLU, ALU, DHH and LLU. That is simply not true. Yes, we did eliminate the take home car program for these units, as we did more than 150 other take home cars. This was fiscally responsible given the economic situation our city and our Country are currently facing. These steps were necessary as we prioritize the most critical needs of the department when it comes to operating safely and efficiently.

As you know, my philosophy about regaining the trust of the community is based not on just one or a handful of officers; it must be based on professionalism and mutual respect shown by all members of this Department. That cannot be accomplished without this expansion.

Rest assured, the roll out of this expansion is nothing more and nothing less than what we have discussed numerous times over the past year and the net result of this initiative will be better police service to everyone in the community.

Peter has already sent a point-for-point response to this, which I will post separately.