FBI Director Christopher Wray presented the San Francisco LGBTQ+ Community Safety Program (SFCSP) with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) in Washington D.C. Friday, April 19, 2024. SFCSP was chosen for its service to the LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco. The SFCSP president, Ken Craig, and Vice President, Greg Carey, were present at FBI Headquarters to receive the award on its behalf.  

The SFCSP is an organization that seeks to build trust and facilitate collaboration between the community, businesses, private security, and law enforcement agencies to promote safety and security partnerships. It educates the community on safety measures such as “Run, Hide, Fight,” and actively participates in and supports many other LGBTQ+ and neighborhood community organizations and events. The SFCSP was created in direct response to the murder of Matthew Shepard and attacks on other LGBTQ+ individuals to help bring formal training, information, resources, and support to the LGBTQ+ community of San Francisco and beyond. 

"Our success as both a law enforcement and an intelligence agency hinges on our ability to foster and maintain genuine partnerships with people in all communities,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “People like this year’s Leadership Award recipients not only identify what others need, but they are willing to roll up their sleeves and provide services. They are building bridges and relationships while putting in the work to have hard conversations and find common purpose. They do it out of kindness and compassion with a sincere belief that justice – in its many forms – requires all of us to do the right thing in the right way.” 

The SFCSP focuses on preventative and preparatory efforts of active attacks against LGBTQ+ individuals. They have collaborated with representatives from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the San Francisco Police Department, and the San Francisco Fire Department. Last year, SFCSP and their law enforcement partners held several “Active Shooter, Terrorist Incident, Event Protection” instructional classes to educate and protect SF LGBTQ+ community members. The SFCSP also created a monthly e-newsletter that provides information on personal protection, business and event preparation, and upcoming training opportunities.  

Director Wray hosted the 2023 DCLA winners in a special ceremony at FBI Headquarters today, emphasizing the importance of community partnerships in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships – as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients – have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. 

The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities by promoting education and preventing crime and violence. Each year, one person or organization is chosen from each FBI of the FBI's 56 field offices to receive this prestigious award. Learn more about the Director’s Community Leadership Award program  and the FBI San Francisco Field Office.