NORFOLK – Sheriff Joe Baron announced on Wednesday afternoon that the office has appointed an LGBT liaison.
Baron said that Lieutenant Meryah Breeden would serve as the department’s liaison with the help of an assistant, Corporal Xavier Kent.
The Norfolk department is the first of local sheriff’s offices to create the position, following in the footsteps of several Hampton Roads police departments that have utilized the liaisons in recent years.
Both Breeden and Kent will serve as spokespersons for the office to LGBT organizations and community members while advocating for LGBT interests to the office.
“We want to make sure our staff understands that they are fully supported if they want to attend events or volunteer for things that maybe in the past they didn’t feel comfortable doing. As an organization, we have their backs,” Lt. Breeden said in a news release on Wednesday.
Baron said that he hopes the creation of the positions will also ensure that the sheriff’s office continues to be an organization that makes all employees feel comfortable and accepted.
“No one should have to check his or her identity at the door,” Sheriff Baron said.
Kent said that by serving as the assistant liaison, he will be able to provide help to others who may need it.
“I feel like I’m part of a family here,” Kent said in the release. “I know that if I pick up the phone and call one of my co-workers, whether I’m gay or straight, they’ll have my back.”
