Openly Gay Police Chief Sworn In

In a few weeks filled with bad news for the LGBT community, here’s something to smile about! Although he’s been serving as Tucson’s top cop for the last two months, Chris Magnus was officially sworn in last week. Magnus, an openly gay man, previously served as police chief in Richmond, CA. Magnus married Terrance Cheung in 2014 and is believed to be the first gay police chief to ever get legally married. “I’m grateful and proud that I can now serve the people of Tucson,” he told a crowd of about 120 city officials last Wednesday. Prior to being sworn in, Magnus had to pass a series of tests administered by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. According to the Tucson Sentinel, “Assistant Chief John Leavitt said that Magnus has been the ‘first to arrive and the last to leave’ at headquarters each day, and that despite the budget crunch that the city faces, Magnus is allowing the department to tackle projects ‘that we never thought possible.'” Tucson is Arizona’s second largest city with over 525,00 residents.