Nearly a dozen police officers in Shelton are being investigated for changing clothes in public.

The police officers were caught on camera changing their clothes in the parking lot.

Barbara Resnick is a lawyer for the police union. She says officers had no choice.

"No patrolman is allowed in the building to use an indoor bathroom. The locker rooms have been closed," said Resnick.

Chief Shawn Sequeira says patrol cops have other options. He says each officer was given a key to the Shelton Farmers' Market, although a special order dated May 19 says only "supervisors will be issued keys to the farmers' market." The order also states, "The locker rooms and gym will remain closed." Sequeira said officers also have access to City Hall during weekday operating hours.

Resnick says officers are afraid to change at home because their uniforms might contain COVID-19.

The police union recently filed a grievance, claiming female officers did not have the same access to bathrooms as male officers. Now, the department has installed port-a-potties outside.

When the union president, Michael Lewis, took pictures of the portable toilets, he got a ticket for trespassing. Lewis posted a video of the encounter on YouTube. Now, at least five officers are being investigated by Internal Affairs for possible indecent exposure. Sequeira expects the investigation to take several weeks and says criminal charges are possible.

On Facebook he wrote, "The Shelton Police Department does not promote or condone indecent exposure in any public place."

The police union's lawyer has now asked the state Labor Department to investigate.

The state Labor Department has set a hearing for July 20.