A former police officer who was fired from her department after being the centre of a sex scandal involving several male colleagues has spoken out, claiming she was groomed and is being victim-blamed.
Shocking findings of sexual misconduct within the La Vergne Police Department surfaced last month and led to five officers, including a police chief and two sergeants, getting fired and three more suspended.
La Vergne, a town of 39,000 people, is located southeast of Nashville in Tennessee, US.
It was revealed the police officers there had unreported sexual relationships, engaged in sexual acts while on duty and on city-owned property, and committed sexual harassment by sending explicit photos and videos.
But Maegan Hall, the only female officer involved, became the face of the scandal as soon as the revelations broke out.
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Shocking sexual misconduct findings rocked LaVergne Police Department (La Vergne Police Department)Hall, 26, has now filed a federal lawsuit against the city of La Vergne, former police chief Burrel “Chip” Davis and former sergeants Lewis Powell and Henry “Ty” McGowan.
She is accusing her co-workers and superiors of creating and maintaining a toxic workplace culture and spoke out on how sexual misconduct spiralled out of control.
The lawsuit seen by NBC News, alleges: “During her employment, Ms Hall was groomed to engage in sexually exploitative activities by men in the department including sergeant Powell, sergeant McGowan, and Chief Davis.
Hall, the lone female officer fired, became a target for sexual jokes and taunting (La Vergne Police Department)“From the beginning of her employment, Ms Hall experienced a workplace environment permeated with sexual innuendo and sexually explicit behaviour."
In an interview, Hall claimed she did not feel protected and that, instead of being treated as a rookie cop to be trained and promoted, she was seen as a sexual object to be exploited.
She told News Channel 5 Nashville : "I know what most people are saying. 'You could have said no.' I get it. But my response to them is that I did say no, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Eventually, I gave in from the pressure."
Officer Larry Holladay was suspended (La Vergne Police Department)The young woman denounced how, since the story broke, she has been the target of sexual jokes and taunting nationwide, and has been receiving harassing and threatening messages on her phone daily, which made her feel terrorized.
Hall noted: "They isolated me. Shunned me. They accused me, and they blamed me for becoming a victim.
"My supervisors worked together to take advantage of my vulnerabilities and mental health, and they used it for their gain and their sexual pleasure."
Detective Seneca Shields was fired for violation of policies regarding sexual activity while on duty (La Vergne Police Department)Her attorney, Wesley Clark, added: "On several occasions, Hall tried to get out of this relationship, and she was not allowed to. She was looked at like a piece of meat to be sexualized and exploited."
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Hall insisted she participated in the sexual activities under duress and described how the situation and publicity took a toll on her mental health, leading her to suffer from depression and consider suicide.
She claimed her supervisors took advantage of her vulnerabilities for their gain and sexual pleasure, including the police chief, who was aware of what was happening and even received intimate photos and videos of Hall.
Maegan Hall - pictured with her husband - hopes to put the LaVergne PD incident behind her (Facebook/Maegan Olivia Hall)Hall cried: "Who do you turn to when the chief of police is sexually harassing you? How can I get justice when the entire system, including the chief, not only condoned such behaviour but participated in it? I was lost, and I felt alone. I had no one to turn to and nowhere to go.
"No woman should ever have to endure this type of abuse. What happened to me at LaVergne Police Department should never happen to anyone."
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