Acting Sheriff's Chief Kelly Martinez launched an open call to form the San Diego County Sheriff's Department LGBTQ Advisory Council.
Martinez said the LGBTQ Advisory Council will consist of 15 members representing all walks of life and experiences, including religion, race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and ethnic groups.
“My intention is to strengthen the relationship with the LGBTQ community through meaningful dialogue and relationships with an Advisory Council,” said the interim chief.
Martinez said that to improve the relationship, the department is looking for candidates with first-hand experience to identify issues of concern to the community, as well as to share ideas and recommendations that could affect relations between the Sheriff's Department and the community.
These are some of the requirements that Chief Martínez mentioned, connection with the target populations, personal or professional, evidence of participation in the local community, civic leadership or volunteerism; and a personal commitment to equity and inclusion.
Candidates must have a demonstrated ability to engage the wider community of local networks, community members, and stakeholders.
Applications will be accepted online until March 31, 2022.
In 2013, outgoing Sheriff William Gore established the department's first LGBTQ Advisory Council to work on issues of concern and share ideas and recommendations that could affect relations between the sheriff's department and the community.
Here are some of the accomplishments the Sheriff's Department attributes to the Advisory Council so far: cultural awareness and implicit bias, a law enforcement summit, jail tours, transgender youth training for detectives and school resource officers ( SRO) of the Juvenile Services Unit (JSU ).
Also, instructions on arrest operations, creating an LGBTQ information bulletin for law enforcement, developing a gender transition guide in the workplace, the San Diego Pride Parade, department liaison with the LGBTQ community, and Regional Academy training for new recruits.
