Police honoured for work with transgendered in Sudbury

Greater Sudbury Police's efforts to reach out to the city's transgender community has attracted international recognition.

Two training videos on how the force should interact with transgendered persons received honourable mentions at the Civil Awards Rights Night hosted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

One of the videos was aimed at police staff, while the other was produced for other agencies. They were created in conjunction with TG Innerselves, a support group based in Sudbury, and received praise from such people as Barbara Hall, Ontario's Human Right's Commissioner.

Hall said Sudbury's police “has demonstrated provincial leadership with this significant piece of work.”

Police Chief Paul Pedersen said the recognition is especially rewarding because they were competing with police departments across the globe.

“International Association of Chiefs of Police are awards literally from around the world in the categories of police service, law enforcement, and their work for human rights,” Pedersen said. “We were right up in the top group, receiving an honourable mention for our work with the transgender community.

“The fact we've been picked out among the rest of the world, that we've been recognized, really speaks to the kind of groundbreaking work that we've done.”

The videos were a group effort, he added, and said partnerships with affected groups were key in their success.

“GSPS accepts that award, but we did it with TG Innerselves,” Pedersen said. “This was a true partnership from the word go. We couldn't have done it alone, and they couldn't have done it alone. We could only do it together.”

Other forces are interested in what Sudbury has done, including the Alberta Human Rights Commission and police in Calgary, both of whom have asked for copies of the videos. They've also received inquiries from police in the U.S.

“It really makes us feel validated,” he said. “This really is new because it's very different from what people would think a police service would traditionally engage in.
“We are often asked, 'Is this police work?' It certainly is.”