Dallas (1080 KRLD) - Dallas Police have started participating in a program first launched to provide a safe place for LGBTQ people to report hate crimes. The "Safe Place Program" was first launched in Seattle.
"I went to visit Seattle, talked about the program when I was in my old life [as police chief in San Jose, CA]," says Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia. "It's something I found that was fantastic."
He started working with Dallas Hope Charities and Dallas Hope Coalition to bring the program to Dallas.
Businesses that sign up receive a rainbow colored sign reading "Safe Place" to put in their window. Those businesses pledge to call 911 when someone comes in to report a hate crime and make sure the victim feels "safe and secure" until police arrive.
"This program is a collaborative effort for small businesses, large businesses and the local community to come together and provide a safe haven for victims of hate crimes and also any crime that's happening in the City of Dallas," says Officer Megan Thomas, the Dallas Police Department's LGBTQ liaison.
Thomas says the program started in Seattle as a way to report hate crimes, but people can now go to one of the participating businesses to report other crimes, like domestic violence or a mental health issue.
"This is vital that the victim feels secure and safe inside that store until police can get there," she says.
"This program allows for LGBTQ, those in the community, to have the confidence to find a place to report those hate crimes," Ciera Oates, marketing coordinator for Dallas Hope Charities. "It's not only for hate crimes but all crimes. Thoughts of self-harm, if you struggle with that, too, self-harm, suicide."
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