Longtime Atlanta police LGBT liaison transferred

The Atlanta Police Department is transferring Senior Patrol Officer Brian Sharp out of the LGBT liaison unit and into the Field Operations Division in Zone 5, replacing him with Officer Courtney Murphy. The move was part of a much larger promotion/transfer order which will take effect Jan. 1 and involves over 70 officers, Sgt. Greg Lyon tells the GA Voice.

Sharp appears to have been given the news today, per a post on his Facebook page:

It is with much sadness that I write this update. I just got the official word that I am being transferred out of my current position. I just want to say to all my friends and family in the LGBT community in this great city, what a true honor and privilege it has been to serve you. You all have stood by me, supported me, and above all believed in me more than I could have ever dreamed of. At times, more than I believed in myself. We saw one another through tough times. We have laughed, cried, and grown in many ways together over the last four years. We haven’t always agreed on everything, but we have always worked towards the common goal of equality for all. We have worked together and we have brought about true change. I am a better person having known each and every one of you.
You all have become my friends, and allowed me to be a part of your family. For that I am truly grateful.
Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you all.
Brian

Sharp was appointed to the position in the fall of 2010 and was a speaker at the recent Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil on Nov. 20 at the Phillip Rush Center, where he talked about the department’s recent addition of “transgender interactions” into their Standard Operating Procedure.

Sharp also received criticism recently due to a Facebook post in reaction to the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri to not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown.

Officer Murphy will join Officer Eric King, who was named to the LGBT unit in August.