The London Police Service Board is looking to make its service the second in Ontario to adopt a policy focused on the search and detention of transgender people.
The proposed policy comes over a month after Clara Sorrenti, a transgender activist and streamer, highlighted the mistreatment she endured by London police while in custody for over 10 hours following a swatting incident that occurred on Aug. 5.
Swatting involves reporting a false crime in the hopes of sending a large number of armed law enforcement to a person’s address. This is commonly used as an intimidation tactic.
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London police chief Steve Williams later issued a personal apology to Sorrenti after a bag of evidence was labelled with her birth name, otherwise known as a “deadname,” and gender.
Police also reportedly referred to Sorrenti’s deadname during the arrest.
The police board’s draft policy states that the “chief of police will ensure that when dealing with transgender or transsexual individuals, officers will be sensitive to human rights, privacy issues and use the stated gender identification preference of the individual being searched.”
Additionally, the policy says that officers will also use gender-appropriate pronouns, without jeopardizing officer safety.
A survey of the 12 largest police board services across the province showed that only Toronto has a similar policy related to the search and detainment of transgender individuals.
The policy is set to be reviewed during Thursday’s police board meeting.
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