Happy Pride Month from the Middletown Police Department
At the start of this year’s Pride Month, I wanted to take a moment to share my commitment, and the commitment of the Middletown Police Department, to our local LGBTQIA2S+ community.  This is deeply important to me on a personal level.  My brother is a proud gay man and a person who has been a role model to me for my entire life.  I want my community to be a place where he, and the entire LGBTQIA2S+ community, can feel safe, welcomed, and respected.

I know that the history between the LGBTQIA2S+ community and police is not without its history and struggles, especially for people of color and the transgender community, and community members at the intersection of more than one of those identities. As Chief, I will do everything I can to demonstrate the Middletown Police Department’s unwavering support of all LGBTQIA2s+ people.  I am proud to say that all of our officers have received specific training about the LGBTQIA2s+ community by the Triangle Community Center, and officers now undergo such training every three years as part of the recertification process.  Since I became Chief, MPD leadership has started regularly attending the monthly meetings of the City’s LGBTQIA+ Commission so that we can work together year-round to make everyone feel safe and respected.  

In addition to this, I plan to develop and implement specific policies and strategies to address implicit bias in our officers so that we can improve our cultural responsiveness to the LGBTIA2S+ community. I plan to increase fair and equitable employment opportunities specifically for LGBTQIA2S+ applicants.

As the LGBTQIA2S+ community gathers together for all of the Middletown Pride events this June, MPD will be working hard around the clock to ensure everyone’s safety.  I will be wearing our pride police patches on my uniform during PrideFEST and am encouraging the officers who are working that day to do the same, to show our support while they work.  I commit that MPD will continue to work directly with the LGBTQIA2S+ community here in Middletown to build a strong relationship together.  I hope to see you all at Middletown PrideFEST on Saturday, June 4, 2022.

Respectfully,
Erik M. Costa
Chief of Police
Middletown Police Department
City of Middletown, Connecticut