- Chief Jeffrey Halstead
The Fort Worth Police Department has a new policy prohibiting “bias-based policing” — including bias against LGBT people — and officers who violate the policy are likely to be fired, according to FWPD officials who spoke to the Star-Telegram.
A police spokesman said the policy is not a response to any specific incident, but acknowledged that the department’s raid of the Rainbow Lounge gay bar in June 2009 was “on our mind.”
FWPD suspended three officers for a total of five days for their actions related to the raid, but determined that they didn’t use excessive force.
Jon Nelson, a founder of Fairness Fort Worth who once called the suspensions “absolutely inadequate,” praised Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead for the new policy.
“This policy would not exist but for the chief of police,” Nelson told the Star-Telegram. “He sets the tone and he made this decision and I think that this Police Department is significantly different because of his leadership.”
The policy specifically prohibits bias based on “race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, economic status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, transgender status, membership in a cultural group or other individual characteristics or distinctions.”
Regardless gay or not, had the guy at the rainbow room not resisted, he wouldn’t have had forced used against him! But it is so easy to jump on the discrimination band wagon. This policy won’t change a thing. If somebody is violating the policy all they do is check the right box on paperwork. This policy is no different than racial profiling laws already on the books! That law has yet to prove a thing. If you give the stats to the NAACP the cops are racist, but the police unions take the same stats and prove the opposite.
@Urk your lack of knowledge of the facts that happened at the RAINBOW LOUNGE is simple astounding. To say police never use force without cause is naive at best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chD_4wRlpwo
I didn’t say never, but let’s look at the facts. He’s in a bar and inebriated and the cops come into bust it and for some reason every agent just jumps on him! My a$$! I’m assuming you were there?
The heck does your YouTube clip have to do with the rainbow lounge? I could find a dozen clips of cops getting shot on YouTube, that had crap little to do with the rainbow room.
At the end of the day, you gots to be mo careful!
Police make decisions off training and experiences that most people can’t fathom. The guy raising hell in the bar to you, is a life or death fight to a cop. Your lack of knowledge of the dangers of your fellow man is blissful ignorance. You have that ignorance because cops that keep you from falling victim to violence of people around you. Laws are useless without people willing to take a stand. Ofcourse that leaves people like you to sit around and criticize on the sidelines.
It’s pathetic that a city of 500,000+ have to pay for a gay liason officer because one drunk (who happened to be gay) got hurt in a bar fight with the cops!
Fat, there were 7 arrests made in the rainbow lounge for public intoxication and assault (grabbing an officer’s crotch). Those arrested for PI were making sexual movements toward officers. Just goes to show the stupid stuff alcohol will make you do. Had the patrons let the cops go about the inspection and just be quiet, it would have been nothing! Don’t start no stuff, won’t be no stuff!!!