GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is now taking aim at the Gainesville Police Department over a policy that he said may put “female officers in uncomfortable and dangerous positions.”
Uthmeier issued his statement on Thursday afternoon, explaining that the policy allows transgender women to request searches by female officers — a rule that he claimed “prioritizes gender ideology over officer safety.”
The attorney general also argued that the policy violates Florida’s Civil Rights Act (FCRA), which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex.
Gainesville PD’s policy allowing men who identify as women to request searches by female officers prioritizes gender ideology over officer safety and runs head-on into the Florida Civil Rights Act.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 30, 2026
This unlawful policy must be rescinded. pic.twitter.com/CkRuVMvOrW
In a letter this week, Uthmeier told Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya that the department’s guidance says searches should be conducted by an officer with the same “gender expression or identity” as the person being searched.
If an officer is “uncertain” about a detainee’s gender expression or identity, the policy directs the officer to ask the individual for their preference, according to the letter.
Uthmeier also wrote the approach “serves no legitimate law enforcement purpose,” endangers officers and detainees, and conflicts with standard search policies meant to balance officer safety with a detainee’s privacy and dignity.
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“A policy that disproportionately puts female officers in uncomfortable and dangerous positions violates the FCRA because it ensures ‘members of one sex are exposed to disadvantageous terms or conditions of employment to which members of the other sex are not exposed,’” Uthmeier wrote.
Uthmeier asked the department to confirm by Aug. 15 that it has rescinded the “unlawful” policy, warning that failure to act could lead to legal action by his office.
Uthmeier has been vocal about his criticisms of major institutions in the past, taking aim at Major League Baseball, the National Football League, TikTok, an Irish dance contest, and even an HOA over various political issues.