COLUMBIA, S.C. - Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott has appointed a deputy to serve as a liaison between his department and gay and lesbian crime victims.

"The main thing to us is a victim is a victim and we need to take care of them," said Lott, adding his department may be the first in the state to launch such efforts.

There wasn't a specific incident or increase in crime against gay and lesbian people that prompted the program. Lott said gays and lesbians sometimes are hesitant to report crimes against them because they fear they won't be treated with respect.

All sheriff's deputies are trained to identify when they are dealing with an incident that involves gays or lesbians so they can better help the victim. Deputy Dottie Cronise has started a work group of sheriff's deputies and leaders in the gay and lesbian communities.

"The biggest problem we had to overcome was the issue of trust," Cronise said. "If a victim is not comfortable, they are not going to talk with you."

Bert Easter, president of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement, said that he has heard many stories from gay or lesbian crime victims who, after reporting an incident, heard statements from officers suggesting, "Well, surely you asked for this."

"Those comments are revictimizing the victims," he said.

But members of the gay and lesbian community have been surprised and encouraged by the department's presence at their events.

"That really showed our community that you can't just be afraid of them," Easter said. "This is one occasion that we can be very proud. They can be proud that they live in an area that is progressive."

Harriet Hancock, chairwoman of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said she's pleased to see the change with law enforcement.

"But people need to know that ... there is training going on," she said.

Cronise said she is beginning to develop advanced training for victims advocates and school resource officers.

She said that problems such as teenagers running away, being thrown out of their homes and being involved in violence are sometimes traced to struggles the teenager may be having with being gay or lesbian.

Susan Fulmer, director of OutSmart, a support program for 16- to 22-year olds, said the training for resource officers will help the whole school environment.

"It may be truancy. It may be a suicide attempt," Fulmer said. "There may be no clue to someone just looking at it on the surface that it's a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender issue."

---

Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com/