Hamilton Police are committed to expanding its outreach to community, beginning with the assignment of Sergeant Rebecca Moran to the fulltime Two- Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Liaison Officer role.

Sergeant Moran was appointed the first Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Liaison officer to work with Hamilton’s Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ community in February 2020. Originally a part-time role, Moran now moves into the role in a fulltime capacity.

“The community told us the Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Officer needed to be a fulltime position and we listened,” says Moran. “For many in the community, this position is important since knowing there is someone in the service they can reach out to that understands their lived experience, can help victims of crime feel more comfortable coming forward.”

Moran’s role will also lead the Police Liaison Team program, which includes consulting with diverse communities to develop similar connections with the police service and working closely with the Community Relations Coordinator and Equity Diversity and Inclusion Specialist.

“This is our commitment to building trusting and collaborative relationships as together we can set the foundation for change moving forward. Relationships with our communities are essential checks and balances that ensure we are truly serving our diverse communities,” says Chief Bergen.

An integral part of these community consultations is establishing community advisory tables to allow for specific, dedicated engagement based on lived experiences. These conversations may further identify the need for community-specific police liaison officers.

Hamilton Police are currently developing a survey for the Two-Sprit and LGBTQIA+ communities that are expected to be distributed later this summer. To ensure that community members feel safe to respond fully and that their confidentiality is protected, Hamilton Police have engaged McMaster University to be the independent third party administrator of the survey. Dr. Tina Fetner, Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology, will be leading the collection and thematic analysis of responses, which will inform the selection of a facilitator/mediator to lead ongoing conversations between Hamilton Police and Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. please head over to our Instagram account @hamiltonpoliceontario with all of your questions for Sergeant Moran.