What do you want a police officer to know?

[suzifrommd]

Just got back. The presentation went wonderfully. There were good questions and plenty of time to present. They thanked me for coming to talk to them. It was very worthwhile.

[ImagineKate]

Again, thank YOU for doing this, Suzi.

[toniwest]

It's almost funny how many cops and military there are that have gender issues. The funny thing is they are accepting of FtM transgenders and just masculine females in general but the assume every MtF must be a wimp and prostitute. I think many would be shocked to learn about their partners true feelings. It would definitely push the thin blue line huh.
The problem is cops believe they have to be macho. If they were sympathetic to a transgender person they would be ridiculed.  Hopefully the whole world becomes more accepting of differences.

[MugwortPsychonaut]

It's almost funny how many cops and military there are that have gender issues. The funny thing is they are accepting of FtM transgenders and just masculine females in general but the assume every MtF must be a wimp and prostitute. I think many would be shocked to learn about their partners true feelings. It would definitely push the thin blue line huh.
The problem is cops believe they have to be macho. If they were sympathetic to a transgender person they would be ridiculed.  Hopefully the whole world becomes more accepting of differences.

Keep this in mind when you remember how many cops wear those cute little mustaches.

[Ian68]

In order (in my mind):

1) Transgender women should not be stopped/ questioned without just cause.  Ever.  (Obviously, no one should be but we all know that this is a huge issue and gateway to further harassment).  Very few women (of any sex) are engaged in sex work, and you absolutely cannot use birth sex as an indicator of such activities.
2) If detained, pre- or non-op transgender people should be segregated from the general population, both from their birth sex (for fear of any form of violence against transgender women) and from their gender (for fear of the same against transgender men).  If for some strange reason the precinct has *a lot* of transgender offenders, have a cell specifically for them just like they have for cisgender men and cisgender women.  I cannot fathom that there would be issues of sexual assault by booking trans men and women together...  There may still be some risk of violence but it should be equal to the other cells.
3) When searching (with or without detainment) transgender individuals, it is absolutely inappropriate (and illegal) to conduct a full-body search without just cause.  If just cause *has* been established (after detainment), the person being searched should be allowed to specify the sex or gender of the officer conducting the search.  Most probably, a female (or a woman of any sex, assuming that the precinct allows trans women to serve) officer will be requested in both cases because of the *reduced* but not absent risk of assault. 
4) Officers should be familiar with gender markers that may not match the presentation of the person to whom the ID belongs.  If this happens, the officers should clarify with the person whether or not they are in transition. 
5) Officers should be made aware of the undesired truancy that may result from transgender youth being kicked out, and should know what resources/ facilities are available for relocation of these children.

[Ian68]

The funny thing is they are accepting of FtM transgenders and just masculine females in general but the assume every MtF must be a wimp and prostitute.

Just a heads-up, it's generally not considered polite to refer to someone as "a transgender" (noun).  Transgender is an adjective.   A lot of people don't know this so, just an FYI!

Regarding the military and police and trans men...  It really depends.  Yes, society as a whole values masculinity over femininity; however, a lot of police officers/ government workers/ doctors *really* like to "prove" the "inherent femaleness" of trans men by harassing and humiliating them.  I was given two tickets when living in the South, and both times, I hadn't actually broken a traffic law (and I had witnesses).  The second time was especially scary because the cop was a guy, and I literally saw him look at me when I stopped at a stop sign, make a face, and turn on his lights (ostensibly because I hadn't stopped at the stop sign... where he saw me and made the face...).  Had both my mother and sister not been in the car, I'm not sure that I would have made it out of that situation without being beaten/raped/arrested/all of the above.

That said, yes, the incidence of assault is much, much higher for transgender women.  I was a member of a trans* group at one point, and I'll confess that when we went out (I was one of only two guys), I was terrified of the police.  Some of us "passed," but most of us didn't so, it felt like we were a huge target.  With my personality type, I was pretty sure that if anyone was going to end up assaulted, it was going to be me (the other guy would definitely have tossed any of those women under a bus to save himself - he'd have driven the bus over me just for fun ).  I mean, that's scary, right?  Having to decide: do I want to go out with my friends and take this risk or not?  I hate confrontation but the answer is pretty clear - you have to live your life.

It's ridiculous that living should constitute an act of bravery for anyone...