Officer Mitchell Spritzler serves as assistant to Chief Inspector James Tiano, Philadelphia police liaison to the GLBT community. A nine-year veteran of the force, Spritzler started on foot patrol, working the beat for six years before moving to Civil Affairs and working for Tiano.

“I work in an administrative capacity with the police department,” Spritzler said. “As the link between the LGBT community and the police department, we meet once a month at the William Way Center with the LGBT liaison committee. If there’s a problem, we will look into it. We can recommend sensitivity training if necessary, follow up on complaints and give advice.”

Born in Wynnewood, Spritzer grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, the oldest of three children. His mother was a homemaker and his father ran Spritzler’s, the family-owned men’s clothing shop in Ardmore and a staple on Lancaster Avenue for 85 years.

PGN: Where did you get your sense of fairness?

MS: I was raised in a family that never discriminated because of people’s color or gender. I grew up in the ’60s and it always confused me how we could be in school learning about Abraham Lincoln and The Bill of Rights or the fight for freedom and liberty right here in Philadelphia and then I’d go home and watch the news showing white firemen turning hoses on black people. It was confusing; we were supposed to be the land of the free, where everybody was equal. Even at that age, I knew there were double standards for people.

PGN: When did you first want to be a police officer?

MS: I wanted to be a cop since I was a kid. The Kennedy assassination was what really motivated me. I guess I felt a need to get to the bottom of it! I was only 3 at the time and wanted to be a Secret Service agent and protect the president.

PGN: What’s something surprising that you learned about the gay community?

MS: I really never knew how many rights were denied to LGBT people, how difficult it can be just to get basic human rights that should be given to everybody. And I was surprised at how divisive the community could be, with tension between trans people and gay people and different factions of the community. But mostly how hard it was just to be treated fairly.

PGN: Are you good at apologizing?

MS: Yes, I’m a good apologist. I got that from running my own business for 10 years. I had a party rental business, chairs and tables and equipment. When you’re in charge, there’s no one to blame if something goes wrong. You have to learn to be humble and apologize when you make a mistake. It’s better to admit to something up front than try to hide it or cover it up. That always makes it worse.

PGN: Boxers or briefs? Or commando?

MS: Both boxers and briefs ... just not at the same time.

PGN: Favorite food?

MS: Cheesesteaks.

PGN: Any hobbies?

MS: I taught myself to play the drums. I had a band called Bloody Awful. We were together for 15 years and just stopped playing a few years ago. Drums are a great way to get out your aggression and just feel free of everything. We played a lot of Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead music. We were pretty popular for a while.

PGN: Do you have any gay friends?

MS: Not really. Well, not that I know of.

PGN: Who would you want to have lunch with?

MS: Robert F. Kennedy. I think he was such an insightful person.

PGN: If you had to imagine yourself as an animal, which one would it be?

MS: I would be a lion — I am a Leo!

PGN: Life-altering moment?

MS: The birth of my son: I was in the hospital and cut the cord. He looks so much like me, I feel like I’m raising myself. My old pictures of me look just like him. He acts just like me too. He’s 9 years old now and we have a lot of fun together. We just went to a Phillies game.

PGN: Your most selfless act?

MS: Being a cop. You have to be so many things to people - a doctor, a lawyer, psychiatrist, a plumber. Anything that somebody needs, you have to be. And when something goes down and everyone is running away from bullets, you’re running towards them. You take yourself out of the picture to help somebody else every day. In that way, all cops are selfless.

PGN: Brush with fame?

MS: I was on the “Gene London Show” around 1968. It was a Philadelphia staple. He would throw boxes to the kids on the show and I caught one of them. It was a big thrill.

PGN: What is one thing you would really like to learn how to do?

MS: I’d like to learn how to drive a tractor-trailer ... really.

PGN: What do you do when you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep?

MS: I think about my life so far.

PGN: Something that made you laugh?

MS: I always laugh when I’m with my son. He’s very quick-witted and we have a ball together. It cracks me up when we’re driving in the car and he’s singing along to Rod Stewart and all the music I grew up with. He’s such a mini me, I just enjoy staring at him. It’s amazing what DNA can do.

PGN: What sound do you hate?

MS: Loud motorcycles!

PGN: What sound do you love?

MS: Sounds of the ocean.

PGN: Your most unusual job?

MS: I worked for Brink’s armored car company. It was kind of scary — handling all that money and feeling like a deer in headlights. Everyone knows what you have in the truck and sometimes I might have millions in dollars and/or food stamps. Back then, we didn’t even have a guard with us. I’d pull up to a check-cashing place and there could be hundreds of people outside waiting for food stamps and to cash their checks. Here I am trying to park the truck, unload and carry the boxes with a six-shooter for protection. If I’d been rushed I would have had only six shots for 300 people! I would have been better off without a gun, but thankfully most people are law-abiding and I never had any real problems.

PGN: A song that you’re embarrassed to admit you like?

MS: I like Barry Manilow songs!

PGN: Have you ever faced discrimination?

MS: Yes, I’m Jewish, so I’ve heard slurs. I can imagine what other minorities have to go through. It’s unconscionable that people use their gender, skin color or their religion as a power tool to hurt someone else. What a waste.

To suggest a community member for “Family Portraits,” write to: Family Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol.com.