iii-36-InteractionsWithTransgenderIndividuals

1 (11/20/2025 ) ST. PETERSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER Subject: INTERACTIONS WITH TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS Index as: Gender Identity Transgender Female Transgender Juveniles Transgender Transgender Identity Transgender Male Accreditation Standards: 1.2.4, 1.2.8, 1.2.9, 70.1.1, 70.1.3 Cross Reference: G.O. II -38, Unlawful or Improper Bias G.O. III -06, Juvenile Procedures G.O. III -10, Transporting and Boo king Prisoners G.O. III -23, Incident Reports G.O. III -25, Search of a Person I.O. V.3: 01, Hate Crimes Reporting §§ 101.21 775.085, 877.19, 901.211 , 901.215, 9 01.22 , and 984.13 F lorida Statutes Replaces : G.O. III -36, Interactions with Transgender Individuals (April 28, 2026 ) This Order provides members of the St. Petersburg Police Department with guidelines for the interaction with transgender individuals . It and consists of the following sections : I. Policy II. Purpose III. Definitions IV. Procedures I. POLICY It is the policy of the St. Petersburg Police Department to treat all individuals with dignity , respect, and professionalism. No person will be discriminated against based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal laws. II. PURPOSE To establish guidelines for the appropriate, safe, and dignified interactions with transgender individuals by members of the St. Petersburg Police Department. III. DEFINITONS A. Transgender Female – A person whose gender at birth was male but id entifies and lives as a female. Such persons should be addressed using feminine pronouns (i.e. , she, her, and hers) or their name . B. Transgender Identity – A person who utilizes or identifies themselves by gender or persona other than that assigned at birth. C. Transgender Male – A person whose gender at birth was female but identifies and lives as a male. Such persons should be addressed using masculine pronouns (i.e. , he, him, and his) or their name . DATE OF ISSUE EFFECTIVE DATE NUMBER April 2016 Immediately III-36 Distribution: All Employees General Order I II-36 2 (11/20/2025 ) IV. PROCEDURES A. Addressing Individuals 1. Employees will address a transgender individual using the person’s clearly stated gender identity, including preferred name and appropriate pronouns. Employees who are unsure which pronoun is appropriate will respectfully ask the transgender person which they prefer. 2. If a person has not clearly stated their gender identity, but the person’s intended gender presentation is reasonably clear based on attire and other cues, the individual will be treated in accordance with their expressed gender. 3. If a person’s self -identifi ed or expressed gender is unclear, the officer should make a determination based on any other available information. Gender information on government -issued identification and other documents may be used as presumptive evidence of gender identity , only in the absence of self -identification by the individual or some other obvious expression of gender identity. 4. Officer s will avoid unnecessary personal questions regarding an individual’s anatomy or sexual history. B. Calls for Service All calls for service or complaints by transgender individuals will be addressed and investigated in accordance with applicable Departmental policies for any other call for service or complaint. C. Stop and Frisk 1. An officer will conduct all stop and frisk encounters, field interviews, searches, and seizures , with or without a warrant , in conformance with G.O. II -38, Unlaw ful or Improper Bias , G.O. III -25, Search of a Person , and controlling state and federal law. 2. A stop, frisk, or search will not be performed for the sole purpose of determining an individual’s anatomical gender. Transgender individuals will not be subject to more invasive search or frisk procedures than non - transgender individuals. 3. An officer is cautioned not to treat a transgender individual or person who appears to be transgender , as the basis of suspicion and/or evidence of a crime. 4. An officer should be aware that the presence of needles may be indicative of a prescribed hormone treatment and/or therapy, not necessarily illegal drug use. D. Reporting 1. Case Reports, Case Supplemental Reports, Domestic Violence Supplemental Report s, Supervisor’s Report of Control of Persons and other non -charging documents will refer to the transgender individual’s legal name. a. The person’s preferred name will be listed as an alias or Also -Known -As (AKA). b. The first paragraph of the report narrative will note: “The (complainant) (victim) (witn ess) (subject) is transgender.” c. Thereafter, the appropriate gender pronouns or name will be used in the narrative. For example: If the person is male -to-female, mark the person as “female” and use the pronouns “she ,” “her” and “hers” within the report narrative. 2. In accordance with G.O. III -23, Incident Reports and I.O. V.