ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study, which examines the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, DC, to address the needs of an invisible community, namely, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The primary component of MPD policing reform and strategy was the creation of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU). The chapter explains the evolution of the MPD from gay community foe to gay community ally. The Metropolitan Police Department's GLLU is staffed by openly gay, lesbian, and transgender members of the agency and their allies. One of the challenges of providing public goods and services to an invisible community is the inability to collect and maintain information about the community and establish measures of efficiency and effectiveness. The chapter explains the success of the GLLU by reviewing its homicide case closure rate. It highlights how critical incidents and leadership created an opportunity for the MPD to better serve one of its invisible communities.
