2SLGBTQQIA+

Ottawa Police Service and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Community of Ottawa

The Ottawa Police Service is currently working alongside key stakeholders, to determine how to best proceed to build meaningful and sustainable relationships between the OPS and the intersectional 2SLGBTQQIA+ community of Ottawa.


What has been done so far?

Since 1991, the OPS GLBT Liaison Committee has played a vital role in improving services to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community of Ottawa.

In 2018, the committee, on the advice of its members, voted to terminate the committee and enlist the services of Catalyst Research and Communications to conduct a comprehensive community consultation and report back. Work is currently underway, in order to forage the best path forward and complete the outstanding recommendations of the report.

Please review the Reports, to see what the community had to say!


2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer

In August 2022, the OPS welcomed Cst. Amanda Williams (she/her) in joining the Respect Values and Inclusion Directorate, as the full time 2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer. As a member of 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and a long-standing resident of Ottawa herself, Cst. Williams brings strong values in community policing and strives to be a role model for youth.



2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer Roles and Responsibilities

An Overview

The role of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer (LO) serves to increase and improve trust and confidence in the Ottawa Police Service by the 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities. Fundamental to achieving this is being an effective channel of communication to link internal & external agencies. This must include raising the awareness of 2SLGBTQQIA+ matters with a focus regarding the intersectionality of marginalized individuals such as Newcomers, Racialized, Youth, Street Involved and sharing information.

The 2SLGBTQQIA+ LO may be assigned to strategic and deployable duties to develop reassurance, building, and maintaining trust & confidence in the Ottawa Police Service. Furthermore, LO will be pivotal in supporting critical incidents and day-to-day police investigations to encourage crime incident reporting and providing community input from 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Lastly, the 2SLGBTQQIA+ LO is a resource on Gender identity and Sexual Orientation for all members of the service by developing training in relation to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Community to all new recruits, and employees within the Police Service. As part of such, the LO attending continuing education opportunities, conferences and training related to and hosted by 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities are paramount.

Specific Roles and Responsibilities

Increase the trust and confidence of 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities

  • Serve as a single point of contact to facilitate communication between 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and OPS.
  • Develop initiatives to encourage the reporting of 2SLGBTQQIA+ crime/incidents.
  • Facilitate effective two-way communication between the community and the OPS
  • Engage with community and partner agencies to evaluate and improve police-led outreach initiatives and participate in community events.
  • Work with the community to develop and implement strategies to prevent hate crimes within the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
  • Support our recruitment program to ensure that it actively advertises to 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities; and
  • Support joint Community / OPS projects and initiatives.

Transparency

  • Effectively use online engagement website in real time to problem-solve, maintain open relationships, improve public trust and confidence to identify gaps, overlaps and inconsistences.
  • Maintain Social Media presence to broaden the scope of reach and showcase initiatives, outreach and participation in community-led events.

Ensure continuity

  • Ensure that records of work conducted in the community, in a format that is accessible to all colleagues and community members, and for those future Liaison Officers, are maintained.
    • Participate as ex-officio member of the Community Equity Council and any working groups under the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community direction.

Relationship and Partnership Building

  • Network extensively with city wide coalitions, community groups, and social agencies on issues pertaining to 2SLGBTQQIA+ people through community engagement and strategic partnerships.
  • Prioritize and address emerging and trending issues within the community at the earliest opportunity and provide information on police processes to other stakeholders.

Officer support and Investigation

  • Assist, advise, and consult with other officers on cases involving 2SLGBTQQIA+ matters.
  • Support the Hate Crimes Unit with homophobic and transphobic hate crime investigations.
  • Act as a resource for Hate Crime investigators, Intimate Partner violence, Sexual Assault Unit with regards to liaison with victims, witnesses (who identify as 2SLGBTQQIA+) and referrals to appropriate support agencies.
  • Assist with community complaints, mediation, and other matters which require an 2SLGBTQQIA+ focus

Promoting awareness of 2SLBGTQQIA+ matters

  • Provide training, or organize a training with a experts, for OPS members on 2SLGBTQQIA+ topics, including proper pronoun use, how to correctly identify a hate crime based on sexual orientation or gender identity, etc.
  • Raise the profile of Liaison Officer role across the OPS to ensure that our police officers and investigators are conversant with their roles and the services available to victims and witnesses (i.e. refer suitable incidents to the Liaison Officer).
  • Develop an understanding of general 2SLGBTQQIA+ matters with colleagues and the diversity which exists within the community.



Please contact Cst Amanda Williams with any questions, concerns, outreach and educational opportunities. Learn a little bit more by clicking her Bio.

Ottawa Police Service and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Community of Ottawa

The Ottawa Police Service is currently working alongside key stakeholders, to determine how to best proceed to build meaningful and sustainable relationships between the OPS and the intersectional 2SLGBTQQIA+ community of Ottawa.


What has been done so far?

Since 1991, the OPS GLBT Liaison Committee has played a vital role in improving services to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community of Ottawa.

In 2018, the committee, on the advice of its members, voted to terminate the committee and enlist the services of Catalyst Research and Communications to conduct a comprehensive community consultation and report back. Work is currently underway, in order to forage the best path forward and complete the outstanding recommendations of the report.

Please review the Reports, to see what the community had to say!


2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer

In August 2022, the OPS welcomed Cst. Amanda Williams (she/her) in joining the Respect Values and Inclusion Directorate, as the full time 2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer. As a member of 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and a long-standing resident of Ottawa herself, Cst. Williams brings strong values in community policing and strives to be a role model for youth.



2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer Roles and Responsibilities

An Overview

The role of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison Officer (LO) serves to increase and improve trust and confidence in the Ottawa Police Service by the 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities. Fundamental to achieving this is being an effective channel of communication to link internal & external agencies. This must include raising the awareness of 2SLGBTQQIA+ matters with a focus regarding the intersectionality of marginalized individuals such as Newcomers, Racialized, Youth, Street Involved and sharing information.

The 2SLGBTQQIA+ LO may be assigned to strategic and deployable duties to develop reassurance, building, and maintaining trust & confidence in the Ottawa Police Service. Furthermore, LO will be pivotal in supporting critical incidents and day-to-day police investigations to encourage crime incident reporting and providing community input from 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Lastly, the 2SLGBTQQIA+ LO is a resource on Gender identity and Sexual Orientation for all members of the service by developing training in relation to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Community to all new recruits, and employees within the Police Service. As part of such, the LO attending continuing education opportunities, conferences and training related to and hosted by 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities are paramount.

Specific Roles and Responsibilities

Increase the trust and confidence of 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities

  • Serve as a single point of contact to facilitate communication between 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and OPS.
  • Develop initiatives to encourage the reporting of 2SLGBTQQIA+ crime/incidents.
  • Facilitate effective two-way communication between the community and the OPS
  • Engage with community and partner agencies to evaluate and improve police-led outreach initiatives and participate in community events.
  • Work with the community to develop and implement strategies to prevent hate crimes within the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
  • Support our recruitment program to ensure that it actively advertises to 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities; and
  • Support joint Community / OPS projects and initiatives.

Transparency

  • Effectively use online engagement website in real time to problem-solve, maintain open relationships, improve public trust and confidence to identify gaps, overlaps and inconsistences.
  • Maintain Social Media presence to broaden the scope of reach and showcase initiatives, outreach and participation in community-led events.

Ensure continuity

  • Ensure that records of work conducted in the community, in a format that is accessible to all colleagues and community members, and for those future Liaison Officers, are maintained.
    • Participate as ex-officio member of the Community Equity Council and any working groups under the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community direction.

Relationship and Partnership Building

  • Network extensively with city wide coalitions, community groups, and social agencies on issues pertaining to 2SLGBTQQIA+ people through community engagement and strategic partnerships.
  • Prioritize and address emerging and trending issues within the community at the earliest opportunity and provide information on police processes to other stakeholders.

Officer support and Investigation

  • Assist, advise, and consult with other officers on cases involving 2SLGBTQQIA+ matters.
  • Support the Hate Crimes Unit with homophobic and transphobic hate crime investigations.
  • Act as a resource for Hate Crime investigators, Intimate Partner violence, Sexual Assault Unit with regards to liaison with victims, witnesses (who identify as 2SLGBTQQIA+) and referrals to appropriate support agencies.
  • Assist with community complaints, mediation, and other matters which require an 2SLGBTQQIA+ focus

Promoting awareness of 2SLBGTQQIA+ matters

  • Provide training, or organize a training with a experts, for OPS members on 2SLGBTQQIA+ topics, including proper pronoun use, how to correctly identify a hate crime based on sexual orientation or gender identity, etc.
  • Raise the profile of Liaison Officer role across the OPS to ensure that our police officers and investigators are conversant with their roles and the services available to victims and witnesses (i.e. refer suitable incidents to the Liaison Officer).
  • Develop an understanding of general 2SLGBTQQIA+ matters with colleagues and the diversity which exists within the community.



Please contact Cst Amanda Williams with any questions, concerns, outreach and educational opportunities. Learn a little bit more by clicking her Bio.

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Page last updated: 01 Jan 2024, 10:59 AM