Policeman Jailed For Teen's Penis Exposure

SYDNEY AUSTRALIA - A police officer convicted of enticing a 14-year-old boy to expose himself at a Sydney mall was today sentenced to four months' imprisonment.
Adam Teofilo, 32, lodged an appeal and was granted bail on condition he surrender his passport, not approach ports or crown witnesses. His appeal will be heard on November 9.
He was off duty when he struck up a conversation with two 14-year-old boys near the Warringah Mall post office.
The boys, who cannot be named, said the conversation on January 18 quickly turned to talk of sex when Teofilo, a member of the northern beaches bike squad, asked the boys how big their penises were.
He then allegedly asked one of the boys to "prove it" and expose himself, insisting it was OK because he was not gay.
"I just want you to show me, get in the corner and show me ... show me now," Teofilo allegedly said to the boy.
In a videotaped interview, the boy later told police: "He was yelling at me. If I had not done it he would have done something to me. I was really scared."
The boy said he exposed himself "for a second", then Teofilo instructed him to masturbate, but the boy refused. "I felt so awkward. I felt really uncomfortable," the boy said.
The boy said the man did not insist, but offered the two a lift in his car. They followed him to identify his car, then told him they still had to buy a present, but would be back. Instead they ran off to alert security.
Teofilo was convicted in August of enticing a 14-year-old boy to commit an act of indecency and behaving in an offensive manner.
He has always maintained his innocence.
Today at the Downing Centre Local Court, Magistrate Christopher Longley sentenced Teofilo - who has been suspended from the NSW Police - to four months' imprisonment for the enticement charge and one month's imprisonment for behaving in an offensive manner, both to be served concurrently.
Teofilo was suspended without pay and served with a 181(d) notice, which meant he had lost the confidence of Police Commissioner Ken Moroney, a police spokeswoman said.
Officers issued with a 181(d) notice had the right to respond, or could waive that right, after which the commissioner would determine their future in the force, she said.
from The Sydney Morning Herald

Mixed Grades On Police Relations With Gays

Amnesty International examined relations between police and gays in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Antonio in a report last year. Each police department was credited with improving relations, but Amnesty said significant problems persisted.
A look at the current situation in those cities:
Chicago police have appointed liaison officers in precincts with large gay populations and introduced late-night bike patrols to reduce anti-gay assaults. Activists still fault police dealings with homeless gay youths, but they credit authorities with good intentions.
“Historically, the Chicago Police Department's reputation has been a rough, tough, discipline-only approach,” said gay alderman Tom Tunney, who represents the Lakeview district. “Here, the community has been demanding, and getting, a much better response.”
New York police officials say their department has had at least one full-time liaison with the gay community for two decades, and now has three, including a gay detective who reports directly to the police commissioner. Chief spokesman Paul Browne said Amnesty unfairly criticized the department based on unsubstantiated allegations of harassment of transgender prostitutes.
In Los Angeles, “things have improved drastically over the last 15 years, but there's a long way to go,” said Roger Coggan, legal services director at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.
“We don't have blatant discrimination, but if you're an effeminate gay man or a transgender immigrant, you're not going to be treated with the same respect as if you're a middle class gay or lesbian,” Coggan said.
In San Antonio, as Amnesty was investigating in 2004, the police chief appointed Capt. Larry Birney as liaison to the gay community.
“My phone rings 3-4 times a week – people with concerns, questions, allegations of harassment...,” Birney said. “Those that are facts, we investigate.”
The department also permitted three activists to examine curriculum used to teach new officers about gay issues and to attend training classes. Lynne Armstrong, one of the activists, said the effort is far from complete but “they've been most open and gracious to receiving us.”
from The San Diego Union-Tribune