Texas city may require police to ask for residents' preferred names, pronouns
Published: Wed, 12/13/23
Texas city may require police to ask for residents' preferred names, pronouns
KTXS 12 ABC
by JACKSON WALKER | The National Desk
EL PASO, Texas (TND) — A new measure proposed by the El Paso Police Department is aimed at improving its interactions with those in the LGBT community.
Police in El Paso, Texas presented the proposal to the city council Tuesday. It would require officers to ask for and use an individual’s preferred name, pronouns and gender identity during all interactions.
The El Paso City Council met Tuesday to vote on the measure and resolved to postpone further discussion until January.
The proposal also includes rules prohibiting an officer from conducting a search to determine an individual’s biological sex, though frisking is allowed as long as an officer can articulate why.
When interacting with “gender-diverse individuals,” two officers would be required to be present whenever possible, and the individual would be allowed to “express a preference of office gender for searches.” During a search, officers would be prohibited from removing “appearance-related items.”
The proposal also instructs police to transport and house gender-diverse individuals in their custody alone. An officer who transports such an individual is responsible for informing others of their status as a gender-diverse individual.
Additionally, the department’s chief legal office would be charged with creating quarterly reports that describe and analyze "bias-based policing allegations." The reports, which would be made publicly available, would also discuss the status of departmental efforts to "prevent bias-based policing" and "any disparate impacts of policing."
The proposal is part of a resolution asking El Paso to promote inclusion of the transgender community.
El Paso Police Department Sergeant Robert Gomez did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The National Desk Tuesday.