SEATTLE — In 2015, the rainbow Safe Place decals started to become visible in store windows. Today, more than 7,000 places in Seattle's metro area have it on display.
"The decal is brilliant because it combines the police badge symbol that people recognize with the LGBT flag that people also recognize," said Ken Shulman, Lambert House's executive director. The Lambert House displays the "Safe Place" sticker.
"It meant simply that you could have refuge there and they will call resources and protect you from further harassment," said George Bakan, owner and Chief Editor of Seattle Gay News.
The creator behind the rainbow badge is Seattle Police Department officer Jim Ritter.
"I came up with the concept for the Safe Place initiative based on phone calls I got from hate crimes victims who were petrified to report these crimes to the police," Ritter explained.
The initiative has spread with police departments across the U.S. and internationally.
"Doing some out-of-the-box community relations is good," he said.
In the past, he has also been seen driving around Seattle in a vintage police car.
"People feel comfortable coming up to me in the vintage police car in my vintage uniform because I don't pose as much of a threat," Ritter said.
He started his career at 18-years-old.
"I first got hired by Kittitas County Sheriff's Office as a Deputy Sheriff in May of 1980 when policing was a whole lot different than it is now," he explained.
He said back then, a lot of departments were not hiring openly gay officers. In 1983, he joined Seattle police.
"I was not out yet, and it took me about 11 years to come out at SPD when I felt comfortable enough that this department's culture had changed," said Ritter.
It changed so much that SPD made him the first full-time LGBTQ liaison six years ago. Now he's in process of training his replacement because, after four decades in law enforcement, he's ready to retire.
"I am retiring while I love this place when I walk out this door for the final time I am going to have 40 years of worth of fantastic memories," Ofc. Ritter said.