Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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San Francisco Examiner - November 22, 2004
Alison Soltau, Staff Writer
Alarmed that The City, often viewed as the nation's gay capital, has only about 25 gay male officers in its 2,100-strong police department, cops have undertaken their first recruitment drive specifically targeting this community.
For the past month, ending today, cops have targeted Castro District bars and gyms, and established a recruitment table at Castro and 18th streets, in hope of communicating that the SFPD welcomes gays and lesbians. Some 350 men and 150 women have taken applications from the Castro site, which is part of a broader SFPD recruitment drive.
According to the gay police officers' advocacy group San Francisco Pride Alliance -- which came up with the estimate of 25 gay officers -- a combination of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, which claimed 50 gay cops, and a perception that the Police Department is a "macho" culture, could explain the low number of gay cops.
Lesbians, not as affected by AIDS, are far better represented, with about 210 officers -- much closer to the 10.5 percent gays and lesbian each represent of The City's overall population.
"The gay community feels police are a paramilitary operation that in the past have been at odds with minorities," said gay recruiter Officer Scott Hoey-Custock.
"But my experience has been good. Everyone can find a niche in this department, which is probably one of the most open in the nation."
Despite the commitment to diversity, he said, there have been "definite pockets of resistance to having openly gay men in certain units and divisions."
Police Commissioner Theresa Sparks, a transgender activist, said the department doesn't have widespread discrimination problems, but does have some cultural issues -- exemplified by incidents such as the time a gay male cop left the Tactical Unit after AIDS stickers were plastered on his locker.
Thom Lynch, executive director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center, said it was vital to add more gay cops to the force because of their empathy with the LGBT community, and to effectively deal with episodes such as hate crimes.
However, such diversity may be an uphill battle. Of the 25 gay cops, 20 are due to retire in five to 10 years, according to Hoey-Custock.
In the meantime, the department expects about 4,000 applicants from the recruitment drive and says that for every 100 applicants, one high-caliber candidate makes the cut. That means that if there are 500 gay male candidates, five men may end up stepping into uniform in the next recruiting class, a process which could take up to two years.
At the Castro recruiting table Sunday, Nick Buckley, 26, was hoping to become a traffic cop.
"Maybe some people think they'll be discriminated against but I'm not worried about that. I know people in the department and I think it's very open," he said. Diversity?
SFPD
Total officers: 2,100
Gay officers: 25 | 1.2% of police force
Lesbian officers: 210 | 10% of police force
City Population
Total: 725,000
Gay and lesbian: 150,000
20.6% of The City
Sources: San Francisco Pride Alliance, San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center
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