Resources for Law Enforcement to Engage with the Transgender Community | Not in Our Town

Resources for Law Enforcement to Engage with the Transgender Community

Statistical information collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation consistently shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and those perceived to be LGBT, are attacked more than heterosexuals relative to their estimated population size in the United States. Since 2003, the Bureau of Justice Statistics has been collecting information on hate crimes motivated by gender bias or gender identity. The percentage of hate crimes motivated by gender bias or gender identity was more than two times higher in 2011 (25%) and 2012 (26%) than in 2004 (12%).1 Sexual orientation consistently ranks as one of the highest motivators for hate crime incidents with over 20 percent of total attacks according to the F.B.I Uniform Crime Report of 2013.2

Not In Our Town presents resources for law enforcement agencies on how to engage with the transgender community.

On this page you will find:

  • Videos that can be used in training and community meetings to show the perspective of transgender hate crime victims and examples of law enforcement and transgender community members working together to stop hate violence.
  • Lesson plans and discussion guides for law enforcement produced by a U.S. Marshal and the DOJ Community Relations Service.
  • Blogs from the perspective of a transgender law enforcement official.

When members from the transgender community speak out and share their unique experiences and personal challenges, they spread awareness of the intolerance faced by transgender people, spark more open dialogue, and serve as support systems and sources of healing for those impacted by incidences of hate. It is through dialogue of shared experience that communities of all kinds may begin to understand and empathize with the particular challenges faced by the transgender community. 

To learn how you can use these resources, and to share your agency’s experience, contact the Not In Our Town team at info@niot.org.


1 Hate Crime Victimization, 2004–2012 - Statistical Tables. Meagan Meuchel Wilson, Statistician.

2 F.B.I./Uniform Crime Reports, 2013 Hate Crimes Statistics.