Public Safety Liaisons
Change starts inside
the department.
A Public Safety Liaison is a trusted point of contact within a first responder agency — someone who bridges the LGBTQ+ community and the department, supports colleagues, and works to build an environment where everyone belongs. This page is for departments that want to create that role, and for liaisons who already have it.
The role
What is a Public Safety Liaison?
A liaison is not just a title — it's a function. Here's what the role actually does.
A bridge between community and agency
The liaison facilitates the agency's engagement with the LGBTQ+ community — both within the department and in the public it serves. They are the person colleagues can turn to, and the person the community knows they can reach
A trust builder
The goal of establishing the position is to gain the trust of both the community and the department's membership as a whole. Trust built slowly through presence and consistency — not through policy alone.
An internal resource and educator
The liaison collaborates across divisions to educate employees, assist residents, and engage with businesses and organizations on LGBTQ+ issues. The role is often based within the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit.
A safety net for LGBTQ+ employees
The liaison focuses on the public safety needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and allied communities — including the needs of LGBTQ+ colleagues within the department itself who may have no other point of contact.
Who this applies to
Liaisons serve across all of public safety
The role exists — or should exist — in every type of public safety agency.
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Fire departments
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Law enforcement agencies
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EMS & paramedic services
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Emergency dispatch
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Corrections
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Federal law enforcement
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Military & veterans services
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Training academies
Getting started
How to establish a liaison in your department
Liaisons are growing across public safety. If your department doesn't have one yet, here is how to make it happen — step by step.
1. Gather your team
You don't have to do this alone. Find others within your department who share the goal — other liaisons if they exist, LGBTQ+ members, and allies who are willing to stand beside you.
2. Identify the needs
Find out what's actually missing in your department. Talk to colleagues. Listen more than you speak.
Inclusive language in policyGender identity trainingLGBTQ+ resource referralsPronoun awarenessSOP review
3. Organize your case
Collect the needs you've identified and shape them into a clear, concise proposal. Focus on specific gaps and the concrete benefits of having a liaison. Administration responds to problems framed as solvable.
4. Request a meeting with administration
Present your proposal directly. Come prepared with the need, the ask, and a sense of what first steps would look like. Use the sample documents below as a foundation — they give your proposal credibility and structure from the start.
5. Start small once appointed
Once a liaison is in place, resist the urge to solve everything at once. Take baby steps so as not to become overwhelmed by the scope of the need.
Introduce yourself Open lines of communication Pick one simple project to start
6. Connect with your jurisdiction's DEI office
The liaison can collaborate with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office of your jurisdiction — this gives the role institutional backing and a broader support network than a single department can provide.
7. Add yourself to the RFP liaison list
Email us your contact information to be added to the growing national liaison directory. Being on the list connects you to other liaisons across the country and makes you findable to people in your area who need support.
8. You helped build something great
A liaison position in a public safety department is a structural change — not just a gesture. Every department that establishes one makes the institution a little safer for the people inside it and the community it serves.
Sample documents
Ready-to-use templates
These documents are designed to give your proposal credibility and save you time. Download, adapt to your department's context, and use them as the foundation for your program.
A guideline policy document your department can adopt or adapt. Establishes the role, its scope, reporting structure, and responsibilities in formal policy language.
A basic job description for the liaison position — covering duties, qualifications, and expectations. Ready to present to HR or administration as part of your proposal.
A broader framework for building a full liaison program — not just filling a single role. Useful for departments ready to think beyond the first appointment.
Need help getting started?
If you're trying to establish a liaison program in your department and aren't sure where to begin, reach out. We've helped departments navigate this before and we're happy to talk through the process with you.
"Serving as a public safety liaison? Submit your information to be added to the directory."
Responders for Pride - The Liaison Directory
Name | Department | Agency Type | State | Email | Phone Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jules Sohn | LA Cops - LA County Officers Pride Society | Law Enforcement | California | 38156@lapd.online | |
Officer Joshua Koen | Denver Police Department | Law Enforcement | Colorado | denverpd_lgbtqliaison@denvergov.org | 720-913-6505 |
Kenneth Hunter | DC Fire and EMS Department | Fire and EMS | DC | 202-715-7594 | |
Sgt. Amy Miquez | Annapolis City Police Department | Law Enforcement | Maryland | amiguez@annapolis.gov | 410-268-9000 |
Cpl. Katelynn Stanley | Anne Arundel County Police Department | Law Enforcement | Maryland | AACoPDLGBTQLiaison@aacounty.org | |
Janell Taylor | Baltimore City Fire Department | Fire and EMS | Maryland | Bcfd.Lgbtq@baltimorecity.gov | |
Officer Sheena Newman | Baltimore City Police Department | Law Enforcement | Maryland | sheena.Newman@baltimorepolice.org | |
Nicola Maguire | Baltimore County Fire Department | Fire and EMS | Maryland | nmaguire@baltimorecountymd.gov | |
Sean Geiser | Frederick County Police Department | Law Enforcement | Maryland | sgeiser@frederickmdpolice.org | |
Officer Devin Douglas | Montgomery County Police Department | Law Enforcement | Maryland | ||
Jamar Blue | Prince Georges County Fire Department | Fire and EMS | Maryland | Jcblue@co.pg.md.us | 301-326-3531 |
Officer Tim Green | Prince Georges County Police Department | Law Enforcement | Maryland | Police_Lgbtq@co.pg.md.us | 240-695-4832
240-695-4471
240-695-7511
240-762-1729
301-485-6173
240-695-1829 |
Officer Brian Lawton | Fairfax County Police Department | Law Enforcement | Virginia | FCPDLGBTQLiaison@fairfaxcounty.gov | |
Nicole Serzan | Loudoun County Fire Department | Fire and EMS | Virginia | Nicole.serzan@loudoun.gov |