Veteran Police Officer Fired After Telling Biological Male to Stay Out of Women’s Bathroom
A Georgia police officer who responded to a complaint from a mother with two children about a man in a public library women’s restroom has been dismissed from the DeKalb County Police Department.
Glen Weaver, a former officer participating in the department’s reserve and retired officers program, was removed from the program following an internal review of the October incident at the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library in Tucker, Georgia, according to reporting by The Center Square.
The situation began when a woman with two children alerted a security guard that a person she identified as a man had entered the women’s restroom. That person was Sarah Rose Swinton, who is transgender. Swinton later alleged that Weaver told her, “That’s the women’s restroom and you’re not a woman. That’s obvious.”
A complaint was filed and escalated through the department’s chain of command. Although department policy states that a first infraction typically results in a reprimand, officials ultimately decided to remove Weaver from the reserve and retired officers program.
Weaver said he regrets losing his position but stands by his actions.
“There were women and children in the bathroom when she was in there,” Weaver said. “If I was a father waiting for my daughter to come out of the restroom and someone I believed to be a man walked in, there would have been an issue.” He also said Swinton did not accurately recount their exchange and said he has been unfairly portrayed as anti-transgender in media coverage.
Weaver described his interaction with Swinton as calm and low-key.
Documents from the department’s Internal Affairs investigation included statements from DeKalb County Library Security Officer Victor Reed. Reed told investigators that one woman exited the restroom shortly after Swinton entered and appeared visibly uncomfortable. He also described the mother with two children as looking distressed when she came out.
“She had a look on her face like something was wrong,” Reed said. “She stated, ‘How can we allow men to go into a women’s restroom?’”
Reed added that another woman left the restroom appearing upset.
The library’s policy allows individuals to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. A 2023 Georgia law requiring separate restrooms in schools does not apply to public libraries.
Beth Parlato, senior attorney for the Independent Women’s Law Center, told The Center Square that Weaver “did the right thing” in responding to the situation as he saw it.
Swinton said she was never told during the investigation that a woman had complained about her presence in the restroom.
“Nobody ever told me that, in the entire extent of this investigation,” Swinton said. “They’re viewing me as male when I’m not, for all intents and purposes.”
Weaver, 70, had served with the department for 28 years before joining the reserve and retired officers program. Despite the policy recommending a written citation for a first violation, Maj. Theodore Golden, Assistant Chief Lonzy Robertson, and Police Chief Greg Padrick recommended his removal from the program.
Weaver believes the decision came from senior leadership and reflects broader cultural tensions around gender identity issues.
“They just wanted me to go away,” he said.
About Post Author
