FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — The Prince George’s County Police Department is making Pride Month a special focus this year. On Sunday, the department held a new Pride Walk at National Harbor because crimes in the LGBTQ community are often underreported.
"People open up a little bit more when they don’t see the uniform, I think that the uniform sometimes scares people just a little bit," says Corporal Tim Green.
Corporal Timothy Green is working to change that, trying to encourage people to open up to him in uniform or not.
"At the end of the day, everybody wants to be respected, the biggest thing is just being respectful," said Cpl. Green. "We give training so that people are using the proper pronouns, people know how to address people as we do training on a yearly basis."
As an openly gay police officer, on the force for the past 8 years, it’s the reason he planned the department’s first-ever Pride Walk at the National Harbor.
He’s also responsible for educating his department at the yearly training, particularly about the trans community, using proper pronouns, and how to address people. He says many LGBTQ gatherings in the county are held privately rather than in public venues, so they’re harder to reach.
"Everything doesn’t necessarily have to be a secret like we want you to come forward and we want to be able to understand different realms of the LGBTQIA community," said Green. "A lot of people don’t understand but I think with time, conversations being had with the events being had, that people will have a better understanding of what to expect."
Green was on the scene this year after the death of a trans woman, who died of natural causes. About 50 friends and loved ones were there, with emotions running high.
"Myself and another member of the [outreach] team, we showed up and it just gave people a sense of comfort, because you have somebody there that not only is a member of the outreach team that can relate to what you're going through but also is a police officer," said Green.