An informal meet and greet with Atlanta Police LGBT liaisons Officers Pat Powell and Brian Sharp is set for April 13 at Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse.

“The idea for the meet and greet was inaugurated in 2005 when Sgt. Connie Locke, the first-ever LGBT liaison officer, began an effort to foster communication and understanding between police and the community,” states a press release from Outwrite.

The event is open to the public and people will also have a chance to meet members of the APD’s LGBT Advisory Group, a citizen panel. Members are: Ebonee Bradford Barnes, board member of Atlanta’s In the Life, organizer for Black Gay Pride, the Human Rights Campaign and business owner; Betty Couvertier, longtime activist and host and producer of queer radio show “Alternative Perspectives” on WRFG 89.3 FM; AID Atlanta Executive Director Tracy L. Elliot; Glen Paul Freedman, executive assistant to Lisa M. Borders, president of the Grady Health Foundation as well as past board member of Atlanta Pride; transgender activist Tracee McDaniel, founder of the Juxtaposed Center for Transformation; Terence McPhaul, executive director of YouthPride; Joshua Noblitt, pastor at St. Mark United Methodist Church; Philip Rafshoon, proprietor of Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse; and Molly Simmons, Emory Law School graduate and former DeKalb County Police officer.

Read a profile of Officer Powell here and a profile of Officer Sharp here.

The meet and greet will be from 7-8:30 p.m. and will give the community a chance to speak to the liaisons and ask questions. Outwrite is located at 991 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309.

Top photo: Officers Brian Sharp (left) and Pat Powell, the LGBT liaisons for the Atlanta Police Department, will hold a meet and greet at Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse on April 13. (by Bo Shell)