Capt. Katy Lynch
La Mesa Police Capt. Katy Lynch will be recognized with the Assistant Chief Phil Collum Activist Award at the 18th annual San Diego County Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast on Friday, May 22, at the Town and Country Resort. The event honors the life and legacy of civil rights icon Harvey Milk and highlights individuals who further equality and justice.
The award, named for the late Chula Vista Assistant Chief Phil Collum, honors those who strengthen understanding, respect, and collaboration between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community. For Lynch, receiving an award bearing their name is “incredibly humbling. While I don’t consider myself to be worthy of an award bearing those names, I am incredibly honored.”
Lynch joined the La Mesa Police Department in 2005 with one goal: to be a good police officer. In 2016, the Chief asked her to serve as the department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison formally.
“Building one-on-one relationships in that capacity gave me hope that, if a member of the LGBTQ+ community ever needed the police, they would call me,” she said.
Her initiatives include walking in the San Diego Pride Parade in uniform, developing the department’s LMPD Pride Patch, and distributing LMPD-branded ChapStick during the parade. “Considering the magnitude and attendance at the Pride Parade, this has become one of my favorite ways to build trust,” Lynch said.
Lynch emphasizes that building trust requires time and consistency: “While those of us in law enforcement today are not responsible for the past, we have to be responsible for it.
That means understanding where LGBTQ+ residents may be coming from when interacting with us,” she said. “We have to show up, listen, treat people with dignity, respect, and compassion, and uphold the oath we took. I believe that happens one encounter at a time, one person at a time.”
“The people are the police, and the police are the people. Community members need to see themselves represented in their police departments,” Lynch said.
Walking in Pride parades wearing the LMPD Pride Patch shows young people they can be authentic in their chosen profession, she said.
Lynch knew Assistant Chief Collum personally.
“I had the incredible honor and privilege of knowing Assistant Chief Collum. I watched him listen intently, answer hard questions, and remain poised. That’s the kind of leader I want to be.”
Looking ahead, Lynch hopes to continue advancing inclusivity within LMPD.
“I already know other officers at LMPD who have stepped up to be champions for the LGBTQ+ community. While it won’t be anytime soon, I will retire at some point. When I do, I want to look back and know that I walked the walk and was the kind of leader who was worthy of an award named for Harvey Milk and Phil Collum,” she said.
The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, now in its 18th year, brings together LGBTQ+ community members and allies to honor individuals making a difference in the fight for equality. Lynch’s recognition highlights the ongoing importance of relationship-building, representation, and service in law enforcement.
