Q View: Perhaps I can start with the
sixty-four thousand dollar question. Do you think sexual
orientation is a choice?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I think people are
born into their orientation. How a person acts on their
orientation is choice. Whether a person is sexually active
or not is choice.
Q View: With whom do you consult in the
community for gay and lesbian issues or information?
Chief Kirkpatrick: Not in this
community, but I have some dear friends who are lesbians who
I would consult whom I’ve known for years that if I had a
question, they would be the people I would call. And she’s
the Chief of Police of the University of California on the
Davis Campus. I’ve known her and her partner. Wonderful
ladies. So they would be the ladies I probably call the most
for counsel.
Q View: You mentioned that you’ve
visited [Spokane] for 20 years off and on?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I have!
Q View: And you moved here a year ago?
Chief Kirkpatrick: About a year ago.
Q View: Have you had a chance to
participate or attend any of the gay pride festivities?
Chief Kirkpatrick: No. I met members of
the gay community I was invited to meet with. It’s a group,
I don’t know which one. They were wonderful. I met with them
about six months ago. They were sweethearts to invite me to
speak with them. I know they were participating in putting
together the gay pride.
Q View: OutSpokane?
Chief Kirkpatrick: Yea! That’s who it
was. I’m sorry I can’t remember everybody I meet, I meet so
many people. That’s who it was, OutSpokane. Aren’t they the
organizer of the gay pride committee?
Q View: Yes. And on the subject of gay
pride, would you be adverse to policemen or women marching
[in the Pride Parade] in uniform?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I’m really not in
favor of that. And it’s not because of the community itself,
I am cautious about people using their uniform and this
question comes up all the time: can I wear my uniform to
speak at my child’s kindergarten group? I am becoming a
little more open to where and how the uniform is used. And
the reason for that is I’m always being invited. Even today,
I was invited to speak at a fundraiser. And I said, you
know, I’m getting more and more of these invitations.
Typically, I’m being invited because I’m the Chief of
Police. Wouldn’t you think? I mean that’s why you’re
inviting me, right? So when they invite me to their forum,
they’re really inviting me as the Chief of Police. So,
should I go in uniform? But I’m fundraising. I told this
group this morning who asked me to speak at their fundraiser
that if I’m going to wear my uniform, then the officers need
to be allowed to wear their uniforms, if they want to go to
the kindergarten class, or they want to do whatever they
want to do – so I’m going to try to set a consistent
principle. The example I used this morning was fundraising
for Special Olympics. I’ve always been a part of the Special
Olympics. State Patrol doesn’t allow their officers to wear
their uniforms when they fundraise for Special Olympics.
Federal Way allowed me to wear my uniform. But if I’m going
to wear my uniform for Special Olympics, then I should be
able to allow anyone and everyone to wear their uniforms for
fundraising.
Q View: Where do you expect yourself to
end up on this decision?
Chief Kirkpatrick: To wear my uniform?
Q View: Yes. Allowing officers to wear
their uniforms at events such as gay pride.
Chief Kirkpatrick: I think it will come
down to what the City’s position is going to be with me on
the use of the uniform.
Q View: How does that come about?
Chief Kirkpatrick: We’re governed by an
ethics ordinance, and I want to be sure, because if I’m
going to wear my uniform for fundraising, they should be
able to wear their uniform at their event.
Q View: What is your personal opinion
about that?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I have never done it,
historically, at my other agencies except in Special
Olympics, because I’ve never been asked.
Q View: But what is your opinion?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I don’t know what
you’re asking me.
Q View: Do you have a personal opinion
on whether someone should be able to wear their uniform at a
gay pride parade?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I don’t really care.
Whether or not the ordinance allows it, I do have governance
over the use of the uniform. I have personally tried not to
take political positions in a community. I want to be a good
steward.
Q View: Do you see gay rights as a civil
rights issue?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I never even thought
of it as that. I don’t spend a lot of time on whether
something’s a civil rights issue or not.
Q View: Do you have a position on
gay/equal marriage?
Chief Kirkpatrick: As a personal
decision, yes I do.
Q View: Can you share that?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I don’t wish to share
that because I’m not a politician. My job, as the Chief of
Police, is to serve all people. Period. Regardless. If I
were running for office, that would be a fair question. I am
not running for office, so some of my positions politically
are my opinion. And they will remain so.
Q View: Would you consider appointing a
gay/lesbian liaison officer who would specifically deal with
gay/lesbian issues?
Chief Kirkpatrick: We have invited a
member of the [gay/lesbian] community to my citizen’s
advisory committee who is supposedly the liaison community
voice for gays and lesbians.
Q View: Who is that?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I’d have to get his
name from the PAC group. We reached out and asked to have a
member of the gay and lesbian community be part of my team.
Q View: Do you see value in that?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I absolutely do.
Q View: Share the value you see.
Chief Kirkpatrick: Because it’s
diversity. I have a citizen’s advisory group of people who
represent as many of the voices as possible in the
community. So I have Eastern Orthodox, I have gay and
lesbian, I have Latino, I have African-American, I have the
Filipino community represented. I have a large citizen’s
advisory committee. I think it is very important. They
represent, and they see things I don’t see.
Q View: The police guild recently
ratified a contract with the city; were domestic partner
benefits ever discussed?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I thought they had
them. I’m not a part of the negotiation team, so I thought
they had them.
Q View: Do you think they should be in
place?
Chief Kirkpatrick: That’s a political
position; I’m not going to answer that. I’m not running for
office. Don’t ask me political positions. My politics are my
private [position]. I have the right to vote, and I’m not
running for office.
Q View: How would you characterize your
understanding of the gay and lesbian community in Spokane?
Chief Kirkpatrick: Well, I only met the
OutSpokane folks as far as an organized group, so I don’t
know really. From my visit with them, I got the impression
that it was - I don’t know - that it’s a large group. They
were talking about wanting to have a certain district, which
gave me the impression that it was a bigger group for the
community. So I don’t know how broad it is.
Q View: If you’re of the predisposition
that sexual orientation is not a choice, then there’s
probably, if we go a step further, an assumption that a
certain percentage of the population is [gay/lesbian]. What
is your sense of that percentage?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I don’t know. I’ve
been around lesbians and gays all of my adult life. I don’t
spend a lot of energy on the social issues. I’m not a
politician. I embrace everyone. I treat everyone with
respect. So the social questions and the social call of how
large a community is – and I have to tell you – it’s not my
concern. I’m not a sociologist, and I’m not a politician.
Q View: Let’s look at that for a moment.
In your capacity as the Police Chief, you’re seen as a
function of leadership.
Chief Kirkpatrick: I agree. This is what
it is. Let’s get to the heart of it. My position as the
Chief of Police is that all people will be treated right,
within the law, and with respect. That’s true externally,
and that’s true of the gays and lesbians within this agency,
whether they are out or not out, everyone will be treated
with respect and dignity in this agency under my leadership.
And I expect that externally. So questions of what the
numbers are – I don’t know.
Q View: Having a sense of the numbers
would potentially convey who you’re representing and who
you’re protecting as Police Chief.
Chief Kirkpatrick: Let me be real clear
with you: who am I protecting as Police Chief? Every single
member of this community is my responsibility. I don’t care
who you are. I don’t care what you believe, I don’t care if
you’ve been involved in crime or not, I don’t care. My job,
and let’s not be mistaken, is to protect your safety and to
serve you. I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you
believe. I don’t care about any of it. I care deeply and
passionately about my call to duty. And that call to duty is
your safety and serving you well. End of story. So when
someone comes in trying to say I’m serving a part of the
population differently, I will take you to task on that.
Q View: Do you believe the Chief of
Police needs to demonstrate a vision that’s above and beyond
the job description?
Chief Kirkpatrick: And that vision, that
the Chief of Police serves all people equally because all
people are equal. And I believe it.
Q View: Final question: From your
position as our city’s Police Chief, what do you believe is
the most important message right now to convey to Spokane’s
gay and lesbian community?
Chief Kirkpatrick: That they are like
anyone else, and I don’t see any distinction. I feel funny
talking about ‘they.’ You’re the one who chooses to put them
into a group. The most important message is that this Chief
will treat everyone the same. I do my best to see everyone
equally.
Q View: Anything else you’d like to add?
Chief Kirkpatrick: I want to build a
relationship, because in the relationship is trust. You
don’t trust a person because of rank, position, or title.
You trust people because of the relationship. You get to
know them. You at least get to know what they’re about, who
they are, what they believe in. I want to build a
relationship with everyone. That’s why I do have an advisory
council; I meet with everyone as much as possible. We might
not be buddies, but there’s a relationship. We’ve met, we’ve
talked, we’ve engaged, we’ve exchanged thoughts, we’ve
exchanged tones – that’s a relationship. And the more
genuine it is, the more you have trust in the person. It is
in the relationship that trust is built. This community
needs to trust its police department, and they won’t trust
this police department unless there’s a relationship.
Q View: How are you trying to build that
relationship?
Chief Kirkpatrick: By accepting
invitations to go one-on-one, speaking engagements, meeting
any group who invites me, meeting anyone and everyone. If
you invite me, it can be two of you, ten of you, it can be a
hundred of you. I will come. You can ask me many, many
things, and then I’ll say whether or not I’m going to answer
the question. But you can ask.
Q View: Would you go in uniform?
Chief Kirkpatrick: Yes. When I’m on
duty, I’m in uniform. But when it comes to fundraising and
things like that, I’m not sure. I don’t know where the
boundaries are. But no, I’m not going to march in anyone’s
parade. They invited me to Lilac last year, didn’t go. St
Patty’s day, didn’t go. I am not your politician. So, that’s
where I’m at.
