The Gainesville Police Department has rescinded portions of its detainee search policy after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the agency it could face legal action if changes were not made by Aug. 15.
With two days remaining before the deadline, Uthmeier said he received a letter from Gainesville City Attorney Daniel Nee on Aug. 13 confirming the department had removed the disputed language.
The controversy centered on a provision directing searches to be conducted by an officer with the same "gender expression or identity" as the person being searched. The policy also instructed officers who were unsure of a person's gender identity or expression to ask that individual which gender they preferred for the searching officer.
In a July 30 letter to GPD Chief Nelson Moya, Uthmeier argued the policy prioritized "gender ideology over officer and detainee safety" and violated Florida law.
Uthmeier said searches should instead be based on biological sex, arguing that female officers should search female detainees and male officers should search male detainees.
"It imposes an unsafe and illogical requirement for female officers to search males who identify as female yet who possess the strength, size, and anatomy of a male," Uthmeier wrote. "Searches of females by male officers who identify as female create parallel safety, privacy, and dignity concerns for female detainees."
The attorney general also argued the policy could violate the Florida Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employers, including public agencies, from classifying employees in ways that adversely affect employment opportunities or status based on protected characteristics such as sex.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Uthmeier as Florida attorney general on Feb. 17, 2025, after former Attorney General Ashley Moody was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, who became U.S. secretary of state.
Uthmeier's current term runs through Jan. 2, 2027. He is also on the ballot for the Nov. 3, 2026, General Election.
The Sun previously reported on Feb. 16 that Uthmeier accepted a part-time adjunct faculty position at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he receives a $100,000 salary and serves as an adviser to the school's Law and Government Program.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville Police Dept. changes search policy after AG threatens action