The Metro Nashville Police Department has added a sexual misconduct policy to its manual and explicitly made sexual harassment and misconduct a “zero tolerance” offense. The changes come after nearly five years of advocacy from the organization Silent No Longer and current and former MNPD employees sharing experiences of harassment on the job.
The push began in 2020 when former MNPD sex abuse detective Greta McClain proposed a comprehensive sexual misconduct policy in response to dozens of allegations of sexual assault, harassment and gender discrimination within the department. WPLN News reported that at the time more than 30 current and former employees lodged complaints.
One female officer said a colleague forcibly kissed her. Another called the department a “boys club” and said anyone who complains about harassment can expect their reputation and career to be “shot to hell.” Another said she was strangled and raped by another officer.
By 2022, nearly 100 current and former employees had raised concerns and McClain gained the backing of the Community Oversight Board, which urged the department to adopt the policy change.
The following year, WPLN reported that the city paid more $300,000 to former MNPD officer Citlaly Gomez after she filed a lawsuit alleging that more than a dozen officers sexually harassed her during her six years at MNPD. She reported the harassment and was retaliated against, she said.
McClain renewed her call in 2024, after the public release of a 61-page complaint from a retired police lieutenant that alleged a pattern of misconduct at MNPD. Kris Mumford, department spokesperson, told WPLN at the time that MNPD did have a zero-tolerance policy, though those words were not included in the policy.
Now, MNPD’s manual explicitly states that sexual harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct are zero-tolerance offenses, effective immediately. The portion of the MNPD manual, “4.50 Harassment and Discrimination,” will be revised to reflect the changes, according to a training document released by MNPD and distributed to all personnel.
More: See the policy change. (PDF)
The document states that its purpose is to “make MNPD personnel aware of the introduction of a sexual misconduct definition in the Harassment and Discrimination policy, and provide additional guidance when addressing harassment and/or discrimination complaints. Additionally, language has been added for clarity that the MNPD has zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.”
Silent No Longer said it was updated about the change the day after it was distributed.
“While we firmly believe this policy should have been embraced and implemented four years ago, we are cautiously optimistic that Chief John Drake has recognized the necessity of this crucial reform,” McClain wrote in a release.
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