Responding to Sexual Violence in LGBTQ+ Communities: Law Enforcement Strategies and Considerations

Sexual violence perpetrated against individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and queer (LGBTQ+) warrants the full attention of law enforcement agencies. It is imperative that law enforcement agencies strive to build strong relationships with leaders and members of LGBTQ+ communities and implement effective strategies departmentwide through agency mission, policy, training, and personnel to proactively address and prevent sexual violence in LGBTQ+ communities. The following strategies and considerations are based upon current or emerging promising practices to address sexual violence in LGBTQ+ communities. The content presented was developed in collaboration with national subject matter experts from within and outside of the criminal justice profession. The goal of this resource is to strengthen law enforcement’s understanding of and response to sexual violence in LGBTQ+ communities and should be used in tandem with the IACP Sexual Assault Response and Investigation Policy and Training Content and Investigative Guidelines, and the IACP Sexual Assault Incident Reports: Investigative Strategies. The considerations presented will aid in overall agency strategies to promote an understanding of the complexities of sexual violence in LGBTQ+ communities and encourage the proactive implementation of agency policy and prevention efforts.

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