A San Antonio police officer who spent years on the department's SWAT team has sued the City of San Antonio, alleging she endured hazing, harassment and discrimination before asking to be reassigned. Perla Dominguez, who has 14 years of service with SAPD, filed the federal lawsuit on October 30, claiming the mistreatment began not long after she joined the elite tactical unit in 2018.
Dominguez was among a small group of women ever to qualify for SAPD SWAT, having joined the unit in 2018 after passing a rigorous tryout, according to KSAT. The outlet reports that the harassment detailed in her suit allegedly began in February 2019, when she says she was required to change in a women's restroom that was routinely used by male SWAT members, and that a male member of the team at one point entered the restroom and saw her partially undressed.
The suit alleges a SWAT supervisor mocked Dominguez in front of other team members over her need for a separate restroom, and that the harassment intensified even after she was given a key to lock the door, continuing for years afterward. The suit also alleges hazing on the SWAT team.
Locker Incident and Forensic Testing Claims
Perhaps the most disturbing allegation in the suit involves an incident the following November, when a SWAT officer reportedly found a used condom inside Dominguez's locker. The suit states that another officer removed the condom and discarded it in a trash can, though crime scene investigators later collected the discarded item. According to the suit, SAPD has not provided Dominguez with the results of forensic testing conducted on the condom.
The lawsuit also notes that Dominguez is a member of the LGBTQ community and that she and her wife were expecting twins during the period covered by the allegations. Per the KSAT report, SWAT members made comments about a nonbinary public figure that the suit alleges were intended to provoke a reaction from her.
Reassignment
In February 2022, Dominguez received a performance review rating her below expectations, describing her as annoyed and suggesting she seek psychological services, the station's report states. She refused to sign that evaluation, and SAPD later issued a revised version stating she met expectations and removing the reference to psychological services.
Dominguez then requested reassignment to the department's training academy, citing harassment and hostility on the SWAT team, and the department granted that request, per the same account.
Tolling Agreement Ends After Years of Pause
Dominguez and the city had entered into a tolling agreement that paused legal deadlines while the two sides attempted to reach a resolution of her complaints. The city later gave written notice terminating that agreement, which formally ended in October 2026, clearing the way for the lawsuit filed days later.
Dominguez's attorney did not respond to a phone call from KSAT seeking comment, and a city spokeswoman told the station that its request for comment on the suit had been forwarded to the city attorney's office.
Echoes of a Seattle Police Settlement
Dominguez's allegations arrive against a broader backdrop of gender-discrimination complaints inside police agencies nationally. In Seattle, the city agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle claims brought by four female police officers — Lauren Truscott, Valarie Carson, Kame Spencer and Judinna “Jean” Gulpan — who alleged sexual harassment, gender discrimination and a hostile work environment in a lawsuit filed in July 2024, according to KOMO News. That outlet also reported that an internal Seattle Police Department report released in 2024 documented concerns raised by female employees and noted ongoing reports of sexual harassment within the agency.
San Antonio's own history with women on SWAT includes distinct milestones. A 2018 report from the San Antonio Express-News described Dominguez as the first female officer to complete SAPD's SWAT tryout, noting that no woman had successfully passed the tests in the 22 years they had been implemented until she did. A separate Express-News report said retired Detective Holly Vizcarrondo was the only woman previously assigned to the unit and had been admitted before the formal tryout process.
City policy formally bars the kind of conduct described in Dominguez's suit. Administrative Directive 4.67 prohibits employment discrimination, harassment, sexual or gender harassment, and retaliation against employees who file a charge or participate in an EEO matter. The city's Municipal Civil Service Rules also state that employees and job applicants who believe they have been discriminated against may file complaints with the Department of Equal Employment Opportunity.
