The GLBT
Community Liaison program in Missoula, Mont., is getting a
makeover. With a website, posters, radio spots, and
billboards, the Missoula Police Department and
community partners are campaigning to stop bias and
report it when it occurs, according to New West Missoula.
The effort has
its roots in the work of a Missoula police officer who
reached out to GLBT Missoulans in 2005 after some gays --
and young men and women perceived to be gay -- were
brutally beaten in unprovoked attacks. The officer
drew up a form for reporting hate crimes and bias,
said Missoula police chief Mark Muir.
Since the program
began, only two complaints of bias harassment have been
filed, and Muir is concerned that residents are unaware of
available resources, according to New West.
The program was
thrust into the limelight after being featured in a
documentary on Logo in January 2007, but its
visibility has since waned. (The Advocate)