The Associated Press
NEW YORK- Chicago is one of the cities where Amnesty International has examined relations between police and gays.
The other citiies in a report last year were New York, Los Angeles and San Antonio.
Each police department was credited with improving relations, but Amnesty says significant problems persisted.
In Chicago, police have appointed liaison officers in precincts with large gay populations and introduced late-night bike patrols to reduce anti-gay assaults.
Activists still fault police dealings with homeless gay youths, but they credit authorities with good intentions.
“Historically, the Chicago Police Department’s reputation has been a rough, tough, discipline-only approach,” said gay alderman Tom Tunney, who represents the Lakeview district. “Here, the community has been demanding, and getting, a much better response.”