Throughout Syracuse, police are changing the way they address transgender individuals.

The SPD is adopting a new policy that instructs officers to address everyone with the pronouns and names they prefer. It also covers how individuals should be transported, and how searches should be handled.

The baseline is that officers are expected to treat everyone with respect and without bias.

The policy was developed with the help of several community groups, and will be added to the curriculum of the Syracuse Regional Police Academy, starting with next month's new class.