Video emerges of woman 911 caller forcefully strip searched in police custody

reply to post by undo

More pertinetly would be "What's the difference between a prisoner and an arrestee?"

There is no difference. Again, I mean this quite literally. Not in the jail anyway.

Originally posted by intrepid

Would you rather have them living the free life in your neighborhood?

Not to derail... BUT.... Uhmmm... are you talking about Drug Users... and/or Misdemeanor Traffic Offenders? I understand your point that MOST are repeat offenders (I technically being one of them), but does a person using drugs or speeding, or Driving without a license... does this REALLY warrant them getting jail time? Secondly does the actions of the few really allow the rights of the many to be trampled by those that are supposed to enforce them?

I know this seems off topic... but I feel these examples are further proof of the POLICE STATE our country is turning into. Before 1930 Hemp/Marijuana was a cash Crop(due to the benefits for paper/rope/clothe production). Now if your caught with more than an ounce (in the states where it is still illegal) you are charged with a felony. Possession with the Intent to Resale.
In the 1800's you could be arrested for NOT growing Marijuana; Yet now if you have a Plant on your property not only are you arrested and charged with a felony... BUT your property is seized and sold for a profit to the Government.

I see drastic comparisons between the abuse of this womans rights; and the drastic changes that have occurred within our legal system over the past 71 years. And we are stuck. Frankly... we're F'ed.... until we can force the corrupted Ideals (and the FEW corrupted officers) out... I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a continued trend for this.


Intrepid, I know you would NEVER do anything like this in your prison... BUT you know as well as we do it happens all the time. Women ARE raped by guards. Hell MEN are raped by guards. Whose to say the officers are above the flaws of a lustful evil person? This was a screwy situation, even if she was in the wrong by having multiple I.D's (though her and her sister looked NOTHING alike) SHE was the Victim. These officers had no right to treat her as the criminal.

I'll say it once again... What happened to Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

Did some idiot instructor get it backwards one day?

Sorry If I come across as pissy... BUT this is something I have an issue with as a supporter of our continued right to privacy, and the sanctity of our persons.

o.k. I'll stop now.

Coven- Out!

Originally posted by jackinthebox
And here we have yet another case, where people have become so desensitized they fail to see how incredibly damaging it is when authority is abused.

I DO fail to see your point. I work in this environment weekdays. On the weekend I deliver pizzas. No #, good money there if you get with the right company.

I'm not painting what happens there as less, I'm not blowing it up as more than it is either. I'm just pointing out the realities in society. Am I desensitized? I don't think so. I just deal with those that'll steal you belongings on any given day for a few rocks. Not the type Wilma will be interested in.

reply to post by FredT

By that thread titel I take the cop was not convicted right? I admit Im not up on the UK's or Irelands criminal justice system but it does operate under innocent untill proven guilty right?

Read what he admitted to, and judge how you will. I can't find a link to the disposition of the case.

Yes this is not right for a woman to give birth out in the open like that, you definatly should have gotten your own delivery room.

Oh, we hadn't even gotten to the delivery room yet. lol
(long story but they had to induce labor). They start ya pushing
before they take you to the delivery room.

Anyway, I know there's a difference between the two examples.
I'm mostly pointing out that if they are accustomed to seeing people
in all manner of situations, be they male or female, it won't impact
on them the same way it does someone who isn't accustomed to it.
It didn't even dawn on me that total strangers would be allowed to
walk into the room. I was just unprepared for it, as no one told me
what would happen. This is part of Hope's dilemma as well. She's
freaking out because no one is telling her what's happening (or at
least, that's what the video suggests, such as it is)

Originally posted by intrepid
I don't think so. I just deal with those that'll steal you belongings on any given day for a few rocks. Not the type Wilma will be interested in.

to further make my point. These people deserve Jail for their addiction over medical help? (to tell a truth I don't want to tell)

My Ex G.F. (mother of my child) had a problem with that substance. I THOUGHT I had cleaned her up by removing her from the people that influenced her to do it(and having her arrested and committed to a rehab facility) . Yet just 3 months ago I caught her using again (and now i'm in the midst of a custody battle; Joy for me! )

YET... her best friend... who did not spend 1 1/2 months in jail... but instead just went to rehab, is to this day clean and healthy?

Seriously... Jail only hurts drug addicts and non felons who just need a little mental help. It only makes them worse.

Originally posted by whaaa
Ive said it before and I'll say it again...

It's a brave new world, welcome to the monkey house!!


How did it feel to see the America of the Future?

More saddening though, this is America NOW, as we speak. Who knows how often things like this occurs without video cameras ever making it known. Who believes a victim when there is no evidence?

Sad to say but things like this could be systematic for all we know. Mankind has proven this kind of behavior to be part of it's very nature time and time again. Makes you feel hopeless.

Originally posted by intrepid
Actually I heard one of the male cops, who shouldn't have been there, say "Relax" they tried that but as a person that isn't accustomed to "inside" she freaked.

Intrepid, my man. I have always thought highly of you. How can you expect everyone to know how to behave when being on the "inside"? For some of us that would be a new experience. In the world I live in, police officers would understand this and show compassion. What world do you live in?

[edit on 2/3/2008 by Hal9000]

reply to post by intrepid


My point is that when an authority abuses their power, they only legitimize the very thing they are supposed to be working to prevent. Did you ever stop to think how those inmates got so nasty in the first place? It's a self-perpetuating viscious cycle.

Please don't misunderstand me, I have no love for inmates. They are certainly the most shady and devious people one could come across. I'm just trying to show the bigger picture here.

If a cop beats up a kid over a can of beer, that kid will never respect the law again. That kid grows up to be a menace to society, all because some cop decided it was his place to dispense a little "tough love" justice.

Originally posted by intrepid
What about the CO that's putting his/her body on the line every day to keep inmates. What do you think about those that get their shoulders torn out by inmates?

Intrepid, with all due respect, how do you associate this woman with an inmate?

She called for help?

Holy crap, there is NO justification for what happened here. The woman was assaulted to begin with, she made a mistake with the drivers license. Which on that note, all they had to do was run a check on the drivers license to see if the woman was dead or a relative.
Then she was hauled off and strip searched because she asked a question regarding harming yourself? What in the _____!?

reply to post by intrepid


Don't you think that perhaps you are a little bit naturally biased in this case given your everyday surroundings?

I am not insensitive to the fact that at any given moment you could get shanked with a plastic spoon handle, and that your jugular might become the target of even the seemingly docile inmate. You always have to be aware of the constant threat level around you.

But if you get to the point where you can no longer carry out your duties with respect and dignity, your dead in the pen anyway. They will get you. Or you will turn in your shield.

OK, the time is here, the time is now.

Who are these public servants that have done this act upon one of our fellow members of society?

Come forth, and be accountable for your actions. We pay your salaries.

This is not a witch hunt. We've seen what you have done, and we would like to know what your reasoning is for what you did. We can not understand your actions, but we are willing to hear your reasoning.

Explain, or be fired. Immediately.



[edit on 3-2-2008 by seawolf197]

guys guys guys... Everybody keeps saying, "If this were my wife or daughter!...." But it WOULDN'T be your wife or daughter. It appears like this woman has some issues/problems going on. She looks to have been involved in some sort of altercation that resulted from being intoxicated. If your wife or daughter gets into those types of situations, then they're going to be more likely to get into these. But I take it we're mostly civilized on this board (except for that crazy Canadian who couldn't spell the word "the") and wouldn't have someone like that related to us. At least I hope.

Get over it!!
These sick morons are slapping each other on the back at the local cops watering hole like hippos. That is the sad part.
They recruit young Nazis, they got them, they don't give a damn. Till the cost is to high.
Who are we kidding. Any injustice to the *SNIP*, world news carries it.
This poor woman was treated like most, each one of our "boys in blue" loaded their shorts heavy with semen, or god help their wife tonite, what a turn on for our cavemen.
Good tax dollars at work!!

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 3-2-2008 by Skyfloating]

If she posed a threat as she was handcuffed with her hands behind her back...then handcuff her cuffed hands to a bolt, or a column, or a table leg, for Christ's sake. Maybe they thought she was a kick-boxer or Darryl Hannah in BladeRunner and could snap their necks with her thighs??

Was she somehow less able to hurt herself when she was left naked in there for 6 hours...uncuffed (srely she didn't wrap herself in TP with her hands cuffed behind her back, did she?) Why..she surely could have banged her head against the floor or the wall...etc

They did it to humiliate her. They filmed it for fun. If a female officer can't control a prisoner...she shouldn't be a cop, simple. She isn't qualified, huh? Two female cops couldn't handle one 120 lb woman in cuffs, what good are they?? Unable to fulfill the duties of the JOB? If you can't handle your job as a CO--get into a new line of work. Personally, I think there should be a cap on how long one can work in law enforcement--just to keep the psychosis to a minimum. You'll never convince me that a person in that environment is not going to be affected.


As far as the "edited" video goes...the Sheriff's department will have ample opportunity to show the ENTIRE video to a jury of their peers. Why don't they ask for equal time on what you call "tabloid news" and others call the 6 O'clock news...and provide the ENTIRE video, if they think they're getting a bad rap? Hmmm....I wonder.

They think they are above the law. They have authority and GUNS.

Be afraid.

Twenty five percent of all returning (From Iraq and the 'Stans ) US military have 'serious psychological problems'...how many will end up on the force?

I'm a 6'0", 220 lb woman who NEVER gets lippy with cops because I KNOW Officer Friendly is a myth. Officer Friendly is more than likely an alcoholic....with a gun! The sheriff in (I think it's Vinton) one of the counties near Athens county in Ohio was just convicted of DUI...on DUTY.

I doubt he got beat up, felt up, and stripped by cops with hard-ons when he was processed. The fact that he WAS processed is laudable, but I doubt that would've happened had he not been running for re-election and pissed off one of his enabling deputies.

Cases like these are like the roaches you see--only a tiny percentage of what really exists.

You folks that think this is an isolated event are fooling yourselves. But, please, feel free to call your local constabulary in the event you find yourself victim of an assault

This is an attack against women’s fundamental and human rights, to live in dignity, and without fear of discrimination. It’s a shame that women are unable to depend on the government to protect them from physical violence, because more often than not, the representatives of the government are the perpetrators themselves.

Women's rights are based on universal human rights and the rule of law. Ultimately, the struggle for women's human rights must be about making women's lives matter everywhere all the time.

In practice, this means taking action to stop discrimination and violence against women.

Will the perpetrators be brought to justice?

If Hope Steffey answered "Now or Ever? to the question "Have you ever tried to hurt yourself?" they she answered correctly.
You see if she willingly had here ears pierced, then yes she has hurt herself in the past... do you see what I'm saying?

It's a trick question if you ask me. I was pulled over a few times by road programs to try and catch DUI's, and the question they ask you is "I'm looking for a sober driver. Did I find one?" Now most people would think he just asked me if I was drinking, so I'm going to say "No!"
Wrong Answer and now your being pulled from the car.... see how this works? The correct answer would be "Yes". I don't think they should be allowed to trick or entrap Innocent people. There questions should be direct and to the point. and the question should be. "Hello, how are you today Sir?" "Have you been drinking at all to day Sir?" or "Hope Steffey Have you ever tried to commit suicide?"

Also I tossed and turned all night last night, and what came too, was if I was a Police officer and was told by my superior to go to cell room #9 and assist in the remove of a female detainees clothing, I would have said "Absolutely not! I'm a man and it's just not right for me to be there at all." If I would get fired for it then so be it, I will have my day in court I assure you of that.

The BIG heat here is that these male officers need to be removed from the police force immediately before they do this again!
Same goes for there superior, it's his job to ensure that his deputies are doing there jobs by the book. He claims it's "against the law for males to be present while a female is being striped" and yet he also claims "they did nothing wrong".
Well that just an Oxymoron! Sorry, but you can not have it both way's. Either it's "Wrong" or it's "Not Wrong" and it is Wrong, That is just human nature. If you were disgusted by the fact that 2 Male Officers were present during the search then it's wrong! They need to be removed from duty "As Soon As Possible".

I would also like to add that Innocent people do get framed by Police, and this I speak from experience. I wont go into my story but that being said, and the point I'm trying to make is that you can be all buddy buddy with the local police, but once one officer doesn't like you within seconds the hole force doesn't like you. I'm sure this works the same for CO's. I understand it, I don't necessarily agree with it but it's there and that probably won't change anytime soon. Is this Wrong also? Sure it is because it's your job to also protect the inmates from guards as well as other inmates. That's just common sense. I know its hard to see inmates as people, but they are and they do have rights as a person. Yeah, they might be bad and/or repeat offenders and yes they probably deserve to do hard time. but if you treat them or anyone like anything other than a human with rights, feelings, emotions and dignity, how can you possible expect to be respected by this person? Do you think it's your badge that warrants or demands respect? Definitely not! I only respect those who respect me and I respect them back, but start shouting at me and I will shout back, insult me and I will insult you back. This is human nature, it's part of our self defence or will to survive, programed into our vary own DNA.

Remember the old saying a dog will never bite the hand that feeds him, but if you abuse that dog it will bite you.
Does this make the dog a bad dog?

I found the second part of the coverage on Channel 3 news, which was aired Friday night. Apparently the video was taken by sheriff deputies and turned over to defense lawyers for the trial. They are the ones that gave it to Channel 3 News. They think there was more video taken but was not turned over for the trial.

I can appreciate all those who say not all of the evidence is in on what precisely happened that night, but it is unquestionable that the law enforcement officers violated their own policies on several occasions in this case.

Moreover, I find it particularly damning that not all of the video was relased to her defense attorneys. Why?

One aspect I find most disturbing in this entire scenario is that the VICTIM was instantaneously converted to THREAT, merely because she failed to provide the proper identification on the first shot.

THINK ABOUT THAT....


[edit on 3-2-2008 by loam]