From Bike Week to Dyke Week

Last month Provincetown welcomed its new police chief, Jeff Jaran, who came to the gay resort town after 20 years of law enforcement service in various communities in New Hampshire. Jaran joins the department on the cusp of tourist season, one year after a summer in which a pair of high-profile incidents prompted some in the LGBT community to question the department's effectiveness. Jaran said he intends to show the community his department is committed to keeping the community safe and responding effectively to hate crimes. He also said he remains supportive of Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe's efforts to prosecute openly gay Provincetown DJ Barry Scott for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, charges that resulted from Scott's arrest last July while deejaying at a private house party; Scott and his supporters have claimed that he was unjustly arrested and that police used excessive force.

"It's not going away. I'm not going to shy away from it. It was an incident and it was unfortunate how the whole thing played out, but it is ongoing, and I don't want to comment on that any further. ... I am optimistic that the Provincetown Police Department, that there was no wrongdoing," said Jaran.

After months of hearings in Scott's case an Orleans District Court judge set a trial date of July 23.

Jaran said that one of his priorities as chief is to make sure the department has proper training to recognize and respond to hate crimes. Last September a tourist named Richard Hall was allegedly gay-bashed outside Spiritus Pizza, and he publicly criticized what he described as the weak response of Provincetown Police to the incident. This year the department has tried to strengthen its effectiveness in dealing hate crimes, bringing in the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to train both fulltime and seasonal summer officers in hate crimes for the first time in about four to five years. Jaran said regular training in hate crimes would continue.

"We can never get enough training and professional development. ... We are a leader, and we need to be and we will continue that, and not only in that area. I would like to focus on officer retention here and putting out a professional, highly trained police officer. That is certainly my number one goal," said Jaran.

Prior to taking the position in Provincetown Jaran served as chief of police in Bow, New Hampshire, a suburb of Concord. He also has experience working in a community with a large tourist population, having served as chief in Laconia, New Hampshire, which plays host to the famous annual Laconia Motorcycle Week.

"It's known for bike week, but it's also a very beautiful tourist attraction, Lake Winnipesaukee, so I'm comfortable with a tourist driven [environment]," said Jaran.

He said Provincetown will be the first time he has worked in a town with a large LGBT population, but he remains committed to ensuring that Ptown remains a safe environment for the community.

"Certainly [I haven't worked in such a heavily gay community] to the extent that I have here in Provincetown, but I'm not shy about it. I feel we need to provide a safe haven, a safe environment. I know there have been a few incidents over the years that have given the community of Provincetown a black eye. I don't want to see that continue. ... We're going to take an aggressive approach, and hate crimes will not be tolerated on any level. But I do try to put a positive spin on things, and a lot of good things have happened as well," said Jaran.

Residents and visitors to Provincetown this summer will likely get a chance to meet Jaran in person. He said as part of an effort to build relationships with people in the community he walks a regular beat down Commercial Street.