Somerville Police Undergo Eight-Hour Training In Implicit Bias, Cultural Competency, and Hate Crimes Concerning Homosexual and Transgender People

Somerville police have gone through training on how to deal with homosexual and transgender people for the past three years, a police official said.

"In 2021, we had training on unconscious or implicit bias. In 2022, we had training on cultural competency. In 2023, we focused on hate crimes. And specifically, they all had a section with the LGBTQ-plus community. We also have a policy written – extensive policy – with regards to this and with definitions and how to handle situations involving members of the LGBT-plus community, as well," said Christopher Ward, the deputy chief of the Somerville Police Department, during a meeting Monday, December 11 of the Somerville City Council's Equity, Gender, Seniors, Families, and Vulnerable Populations Committee.