Three Female Police Officers Suing for Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment can happen to anyone regardless of his or her profession, even if you are in a position of power like a law enforcement official. Three female Salt Lake City police officers are now preparing to sue the city because their sexual harassment allegations were not handled in a proper and timely manner.

Two of the officers, Melody Gray and Robin Heiden, allege that their male superior officer Findlay took a photo of the women in their swimsuits without permission and then shared the photo with coworkers. The women were afraid to report the misconduct because Findlay was their superior. Findlay is also being accused of trying to pursue a relationship with another female officer and even went as far as telling others he and that officer were already together.

When an officer is being accused of sexual harassment against another police officer, it is customary for the force to hire an outside agency to investigate the allegations. This is not what happened. Instead, the Salt Lake City police force investigated the harassment themselves.

The claimants state that this wasn’t Findlay’s first sexual harassment offense. In 2013, a Civilian Review Board ruled that Findlay violated the department’s sexual harassment guidelines.

Do you think the officers claims about sharing their swimsuit photos is enough to rise to the level of sexual harassment? What do you think about the difference in sexual harassment that occurs in male-dominated professions? Do you think it is more or less prevalent than in other professions?