Sasha Swinson has not stopped visiting Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library, nor has she changed her choice of restroom there since a terse exchange with an officer led to multiple local stories about her and an internal investigation.
In October, the Brookhaven trans woman says she was misgendered and verbally accosted by a DeKalb County police officer who was on duty at the library for early voting. The officer, whom the DeKalb County Police Department has not publicly identified, is now under an internal investigation as a result of the incident.
“He took it upon himself to, you know, say, ‘well, but you’re not a woman. That’s obvious,’” Swinson recalls of the Oct. 20 incident. “I’m not his idea of what a woman should be, but who is he to decide that? And again, he was there to monitor early voting. He was not there to monitor the restrooms.”
DeKalb Police have not provided a status on the internal investigation. A department spokesman also did not confirm the employment status of the officer under investigation.
The department has provided cultural awareness and “fostering positive community relations” courses through the Georgia Public Safety Training Center for several years, Blaine Clark, DKPD public information officer, said in a statement.
“The DeKalb County Police Department will continue expanding our training programs to ensure our officers are equipped to serve every individual with fairness, empathy, and professionalism,” Clark said.
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• Trans woman’s Tucker library encounter sparks investigation by DeKalb County Police
Swinson said she’s felt the investigation has stalled since the media brought attention to the incident.
“I had hoped that they would have the investigation completed by now. I don’t know if they’re intentionally waiting for interest to die down or something,” Swinson said in an interview with Georgia Voice. “I wonder if the amount of media attention it’s getting is affecting it, positively or negatively.”
Ted Terry, DeKalb County Super District 6 Commissioner, is one of many people who have reached out to Swinson in the aftermath of the police incident. On Dec. 2, the DeKalb County public safety committee met to consider legislation Terry introduced over the summer, calling for the creation of a LGBTQ+ police liaison. The item was held in committee, which Terry said was “disappointing,” since that means the board of commissioners will not review it until next year.
“I do believe that creating a LGBTQ+ police liaison could help in a proactive way to help educate and engage on these types of issues,” Terry told Georgia Voice.
Though the delay is disappointing, Swinson said she counts the overall response as a win for awareness and hope for change. In a recent visit to her Tucker fave Bell Street Burritos, a woman shared some encouraging words with Swinson.
“A lady took me aside as I was filling up my drink, and she just said, ‘I just want to thank you. I saw you on the news about the library story, and then several members of my family were very encouraged by that,’” Swinson said. “Hopefully, there are lots of people I’ll never meet to have those views.”