Shifting the Badge Toward Belonging with AACPD

In 2019, Dolan Research International partnered with the Anne Arundel County Police Department (AACPD) to undertake a transformative journey - one grounded in empathy, education, and the vision of building a truly inclusive community for LGBTQ+ residents. Spanning nearly a year, this project wasn't just about delivering training. It was about humanizing interactions between law enforcement and one of Maryland’s most vulnerable and misunderstood populations.

At the invitation of Cpl. Erica Mahan and under the leadership of Chief Timothy Altomare, Dolan was brought in to design and deliver a comprehensive LGBTQ+ Cultural Awareness program during the department’s annual in-service trainings. The purpose was clear: to provide officers with a deeper understanding of gender and sexual diversity, and to offer practical tools to ensure respectful, informed policing.

The officers’ feedback revealed just how needed this work was. Many had never been taught that sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation were distinct concepts. Few had heard the community’s painful history with policing or understood the spectrum of reactions - fear, distrust, resilience, pride - that LGBTQ+ individuals may have toward officers in uniform. Yet what emerged from these sessions was not resistance - it was curiosity, compassion, and a genuine desire to serve all residents with dignity.

This initiative didn’t stop at the classroom door. By mid-year, AACPD appointed Cpl. Robert Koch, a gay officer himself, as its first LGBTQ+ Liaison. His mission: to bridge the department with the broader community, advocate internally, show up visibly at events like the inaugural Annapolis Pride Festival, and build systems of ongoing support. This liaison role, the first of its kind in the department, was created because residents asked for it - and the department listened.

Dolan’s work also amplified existing departmental policies that explicitly affirm transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Officers reviewed protocols that instructed them to address people by their correct names and pronouns, refrain from invasive questions about anatomy or medical history, and protect trans individuals during arrests and transport. These were not just policy updates; they were values statements about the kind of department Anne Arundel wanted to be.

The ripple effects were immediate. Other county institutions, like Anne Arundel Community College’s Public Safety team, began requesting similar training. The momentum sparked by Dolan’s curriculum ignited conversations far beyond the initial audience, including a series about the trainings in Baltimore Outloud, setting the foundation for county-wide shifts in how LGBTQ+ people are understood and protected.

For Dolan Research International, this work exemplifies what’s possible when systems listen, communities speak up, and change agents meet in the middle. It was never about “fixing” the past, but about equipping a new generation of officers with the tools to shape a safer, more affirming future.

As one column so powerfully stated, “We’re stronger together.” And in Anne Arundel County, that truth took root - in roll calls, in policies, and in festivals.

What Officers Are Saying (from participant feedback)

“I would recommend this training to all law enforcement personnel. It’s a very good topic that is becoming more relevant to our jobs as police officers.”

“The presentation was designed to inform, not to force ideas on audience. Very positive.”

“This training is recommended for all police, fire, or EMT personnel or anyone who has to deal with the public.”