The Suffolk Police Department has appointed two detectives to become the department’s first liaisons to the LGBTQ community.
Detective Sean Rowan and Detective Tiffany Whitten will fill the new positions. They are currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division.
Rowan joined Suffolk police in September 2014 and was promoted to detective in December 2016. Whitten joined the Suffolk Police Department in December 2010 and was promoted to detective in April 2016. Both are currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division.
Suffolk police say the positions are modeled after the LGBTQ liaison program introduced by the Norfolk Police Department in August 2015. The program focuses on the public safety needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities.
According to Suffolk police, the liaison position will also serve as a resource for members of the LGBTQ community who are victims of violent crimes and crimes motivated by hate. Police say these crimes often go unreported, resulting in a cycle of violence that continues unless something can be done about it.
The Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Portsmouth Police Departments also have appointed LGBTQ liaisons.
