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Friday, March 28, 2008
The Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit of D.C. Metro Police is introducing several of its members to Blade readers.
GLLU leaders say volunteer Sterling Spangler, who coordinates the unit’s volunteer division, is integral to the GLLU’s success.
Spangler is a member of the Police Auxiliary of the D.C. Metro Police Department. The native West Virginian, in Washington since 1990, has been with GLLU since 2001. Spangler was previously a multimedia graphic designer and public outreach specialist at NASA until he ventured out as a freelancer in 2005.
Spangler also serves as president of the Washington D.C. Chapter of the Concerns of Police Survivors (DC-COPS), an organization that provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
He has been making inroads in providing recognition to fallen gay law enforcement personnel and their survivors, and reaching out to officers who say they’re forced to stay closeted on the job. He’s working on creating a national network for such officers.
Spangler helped establish gay-policing seminars and a “significant others” retreat for partners of gay officers killed on duty but not legally recognized as survivors.
Spangler is active with the D.C. Generals, a police and fire football team that competes to raise money for police and fire charities. Spangler has put his graphics skills to work for the GLLU creating many of its promotional items such as its logo, web site, banners and posters. He can be reached at sterling.spangler@dc.gov.
GLLU officers were involved in the following cases this week. GLLU officers assist in a wide variety of cases and its involvement does not imply any person or business is gay or transgender.
- A transgender sexual assault victim was interviewed by members of the Metro Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit in regard to a 2006 incident. GLLU officers helped locate the victim. The investigation is pending.
- A man police did not identify was charged with two counts of stalking in connection with an incident that occurred in the 1400 block of Potomac Ave., S.E. on March 17 about 8 p.m. A lesbian couple who were walking with their young child near the Potomac Avenue Metro station were followed by the man. Police said he used homophobic language and made references to biblical passages. Police said the couple had been harassed by the suspect previously.
- GLLU officers attempted to serve a stay-away order to a lesbian high school student at H.D. Woodson Senior High School. Resource officers at the school helped the student’s ex-girlfriend obtain the protection order on March 19 about noon. Police have been unsuccessful at serving the order so far.
- A transgender woman contacted police after being threatened with homophobic remarks by three men on March 21 about 11 p.m. on New Hampshire Avenue near Quincy Street, N.W. The woman fled and contacted police when the men started walking toward her. No crime was reported.
- A man police did not identify was charged with assault for attacking his partner of seven years at the intersection of 22nd and P streets N.W. on March 22 about 2 a.m. No injuries were reported. The charges were dismissed.
- A man was drugged and sexually assaulted in Logan Circle on March 22. Police said the man was drinking alcoholic beverages in the home of the suspect when he fell unconscious. The suspect, who has not been charged, is cooperating with the investigation, police said.
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