Ex-Norfolk Officer Seeks $15 Million Over Women's Locker Room Dispute

Q: Why did a police supervisor allegedly advise a female officer to bring her gun into the shower over a locker room dispute?

Because, according to the lawsuit, the supervisor was responding to Meghan Grabow’s claim that she felt unsafe after encountering a transgender recruit in the women’s locker room while she was undressed. Grabow says that when she reported the incident, a sergeant told her that if she felt unsafe, she should “take her gun into the shower.” In the complaint, that remark is presented as part of a broader dismissive response by department leadership. Grabow alleges supervisors told her to “learn to deal with it” or “find another locker room” rather than changing the locker-room arrangement or warning female officers in advance. The reported advice was not described as an official safety policy. Instead, it appears in the lawsuit as an alleged offhand response to her concerns about privacy and security in a shared changing space. Grabow argues that the comment showed the department failed to address her complaint seriously and instead shifted the burden onto her. The city and police department have declined to comment publicly on the allegations because the litigation is pending. So, at this stage, the explanation comes from Grabow’s court filing, not from a confirmed departmental account.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 25

An Aug. 10 lawsuit says former Norfolk officer Meghan Grabow was retaliated against after objecting to a transgender recruit's access to the women's locker room, and now seeks $15 million from the city and Police Chief Mark Talbot.
The complaint centers on an August 2024 incident in which Grabow says she was changing down to her underwear when the recruit entered; after she complained, supervisors allegedly told her to "learn to deal with it" or use another locker room.
Grabow also alleges Talbot directed officers to refer to the recruit as "she" and said the recruit would use facilities matching that gender identity, while acknowledging staff concerns could have been handled better.
The suit says Grabow was later placed on indefinite suspension pending termination in 2025 over a minor pre-incident traffic violation, framing it as retaliation and a violation of her religious freedom and emotional well-being.
Norfolk police declined comment because the case is pending, while the dispute points to the department's 2020 guidance telling employees to respect gender identity and generally not question a transgender person's identity.