Police Forced to Strip Woman In Jail

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
41

[quote]Professor X wrote:
orion wrote:
Professor X wrote:
In a 9-1-1 call, her cousin said Steffey had been assaulted by another cousin.

When a Stark County deputy arrived, he asked for Steffey’s driver’s license. She accidentally turned over her dead sister’s license, which she said she keeps in her wallet as a memento, the lawsuit says.

The deputy refused to give the license back and told Steffey to “shut up about your dead sister,” according to her attorney.

The sheriff denied that in a written response to the lawsuit.

Eventually, Steffey was arrested and taken to the Stark County Jail. She was later charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

After her clothes were removed, she was locked in a cell. To stay warm, she wrapped herself in toilet paper. She remained in the cell for six hours.

JD430 wrote:
When you get booked into jail, you get strip searched

Everyone who gets arrested gets strip searched?

Now this might rub you the wrong way but what do you make out of this development that more and more blond and blue eyed house wives, grannies and white middle class middle aged men seem to get to know the more authoritarian side of the US police forces?

Rub me the wrong way? No. Make me think you have a problem determining what constitutes a majority, how that affects society as a whole, the overall number of occurrences on a grand scale and not simply a couple of youtube videos? Yes. It even makes me wonder if you understand the insult hidden in what you wrote as if any mention of past aggressions is based on occurrences that were historically rare. However, rub me the wrong way it does not.[/quote]

The point was, that more and more Americans seems to be treated in a way by the police that used to be reserved for minorities.

I did not want to ask a leading question that already contained an answer but is this a good thing, insofar as it means that people get to be treated more equal by law enforcement however bad that treatment may be, or a bad thing because it means that minorities are treated even worse?

It could also mean that a police force that always had and probably needs an us vs them mentality has changed its definition what “us” really means, meaning they know longer identify with a white majority but only with the police itself.

42

First off I want to say… I’m not shocked in the least. I’m no foe of law enforcement, and the fine line they walk and are expected to walk in their line of work. But I will say, I am woman…just like this one…and I have had experiences close to hers. I once dated a big huge white boy, one that had completed the police academy, but somehow would be hired by none. All due to his past you see…and the fact he was abusive and a loose cannon (documented, not hearsay on my behalf). If i had those reports before dating him, that would’ve been helpful, but I did not.

One Halloween, in the throes of an argument…he cornered me. He was six foot three, shaved headed…and insulting me so close to my face I had his spit on my nose. He proceeded to bring his hand up and choke me. As luck would have it, I noticed my keychain on the counter beside me. On that very keychain was a canister of pepper spray, I grabbed it… I used it. He went down like a sack of shit. I then jumped his grounded body, and ran …to my brothers house and sought shelter.

An hour later, in another city…the cops belted the door. As they do. With the three knocks. The police in my city, had alerted another…7 miles away. I was apprehended, and told that I was charged with domestic abuse. After sitting in a cell for a few hours, the policeman from my city… who brought me out to transfer me to my own…played a recorded tape for me, of my boyfriends side of the story.

There he was crying on tape, and making things up… like…‘oh, and then… she took the lid of a brandy decanter and smashed it into my head after she pepper sprayed me’. The cop even held the lid in his hands, of which I had never touched. I went to jail…and was accused of a felony. Luckily the charges were dropped. But what it comes down to, is that my boyfriend at the time was a good ol’ boy. A police academy veteran… and me? Just a bitch right. But clearly I’m not the bitch of this story, I didn’t cry like one. I didn’t lie like one. There is plenty more I could divulge…and other incidents just the same, but screw it.

I know law enforcement is looking to bring down the stereotypes, and no… not every domestic call is a mans fault. By far. But I expect fair treatment. Regardless of how the pendulum of society swings. That and nothing more.

43

[quote]Professor X wrote:
JD430 wrote:
Professor X wrote:
JD430 wrote:
tedro wrote:
Professor X wrote:
JD430 wrote:

I dont know what happened here.

Yet you sure seem to have made up your mind alread
If you read his post, it doesn’t look like he has made up his mind at all. He has simply pointed out there are two sides to the story, and gave reasons as to why the police may have acted as they did.

Thank you.

I did miss the professor’s anti-police rants, however.

I would like you to go find some posts of mine that were “anti-police”.

Where? In every damn police thread you ever got involved in.

Perhaps your bias is so total and complete you can’t even recognize it as such.

No, I asked you to find those posts because I am well aware of what I write on here. The last thread on police action I was involved in was about an old woman who was killed in her own apartment when police mistook her home for a drug dealer’s house. That case turned out to be in favor of the old woman. How is that “anti-police” because I found that action wrong?

I asked you that question because I know that the only way you can label me with being “anti-police” is to completely mis-interpret or deliberately lie about what the discussion was about.

Why lie?

Go find those posts. I promise I’ll wait.

Until then, don’t put words in my mouth that were never spoken. [/quote]

NYPD’s Finest?
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1349629

From my experience, this woman is either on drugs or has a mental illness. I’ve had to restrain people just like her, and it isn’t fun or pleasant for anyone involved. This was probably a last resort for the police.

44

[quote]Big_Boss wrote:
I don’t know about Ohio jail procedures,laws,etc…but from my own experiences, you can’t strip search just because its an arrest.

A strip search is only acceptable if there is REASONABLE CAUSE for the search…i.e…is the strip search relevant to the arrest?..such as:
1)drug related crime

2)violent crime

3)previous arrests related to those offenses…or PREVIOUS BEHAVIOR(had they dealt her previously?)

4)reason beyond a doubt justifying the search(hiding evidence,contraband,etc.)

Other than that…A STRIP SEARCH WILL NEVER BE JUSTIFIED. And the opposite sex cannot conduct the search or be in the same room. I’m sure thats universal. If their laws and procedures regarding strip searches are anything like Texas…they violated them unless of course this was due to a “suicide watch.”

If she was PROPERLY evaluated and was being placed on “suicide watch” then the strip search would be justified…but only under the SAME PROCEDURES(done by same sex,etc.) and given at least a paper gown,suicide vest.

From my experiences,people will answer “yes” to questions about suicide,etc. and want to change their minds when they realize they have to strip and be placed in a single cell with nothing but a paper gown or suicide vest. Jail and medical staff will take your answers seriously for obvious reasons. If she refused to cooperate after supplying answers that warranted a suicide watch…they are justified in forcibly removing her clothes. Their methods in doing so is another question though.

Even with that,this whole arrest was fubard to begin with. Possibly poor judgement on the arresting officer,jail staff…and even maybe the lady that was arrested. We shall see.
[/quote]

They thought she might harm herself and when they asked her she said she might. I could see them searching her to make sure she doesn’t have anything she could use to slit her wrists or OD or hang herself in the holding cell.

She seems to be a disturbed woman. Having law enforcement deal with the highly intoxicated or mentally ill is always a touchy subject. They end up having to assume the worst. It is impossible to second guess their actions without all the facts.

45

[quote]Molotov_Coktease wrote:
First off I want to say… I’m not shocked in the least. I’m no foe of law enforcement, and the fine line they walk and are expected to walk in their line of work. But I will say, I am woman…just like this one…and I have had experiences close to hers. I once dated a big huge white boy, one that had completed the police academy, but somehow would be hired by none. All due to his past you see…and the fact he was abusive and a loose cannon (documented, not hearsay on my behalf). If i had those reports before dating him, that would’ve been helpful, but I did not.

One Halloween, in the throes of an argument…he cornered me. He was six foot three, shaved headed…and insulting me so close to my face I had his spit on my nose. He proceeded to bring his hand up and choke me. As luck would have it, I noticed my keychain on the counter beside me. On that very keychain was a canister of pepper spray, I grabbed it… I used it. He went down like a sack of shit. I then jumped his grounded body, and ran …to my brothers house and sought shelter.

An hour later, in another city…the cops belted the door. As they do. With the three knocks. The police in my city, had alerted another…7 miles away. I was apprehended, and told that I was charged with domestic abuse. After sitting in a cell for a few hours, the policeman from my city… who brought me out to transfer me to my own…played a recorded tape for me, of my boyfriends side of the story.

There he was crying on tape, and making things up… like…‘oh, and then… she took the lid of a brandy decanter and smashed it into my head after she pepper sprayed me’. The cop even held the lid in his hands, of which I had never touched. I went to jail…and was accused of a felony. Luckily the charges were dropped. But what it comes down to, is that my boyfriend at the time was a good ol’ boy. A police academy veteran… and me? Just a bitch right. But clearly I’m not the bitch of this story, I didn’t cry like one. I didn’t lie like one. There is plenty more I could divulge…and other incidents just the same, but screw it.

I know law enforcement is looking to bring down the stereotypes, and no… not every domestic call is a mans fault. By far. But I expect fair treatment. Regardless of how the pendulum of society swings. That and nothing more.[/quote]

Did you freak out and resist arrest or did you let the lawyers handle it?

In all the situations discussed here the person freaks out and the cops end up having to use force.

Domestic situations are always touchy. They cannot ignore abuse from either side but how the hell can they know the truth until they investigate?

46

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:

They thought she might harm herself and when they asked her she said she might. I could see them searching her to make sure she doesn’t have anything she could use to slit her wrists or OD or hang herself in the holding cell.

[/quote]

I usually avoid these threads because I loathe people rushing to judgement. However, I must admit to being drawn in by the unpleasant return of pox/chs (Captain Hammer Strength).

Zap, if she was threatening to harm herself, not only did the cops do the right thing, they should be applauded.

I urge any of you to walk in the shoes of a policeman/woman for one day.

If you think that people aren’t capable of staging/provoking incidents in order to sue later, you are sorely mistaken.

If it turns out that she was threatening to harm herself, I hope that pox and the others who rushed to castigate the police, would have the good graces to apologize or at least modify their stance.

However, I won’t be holding my breath.

JeffR

47

[quote]Big_Boss wrote:
I don’t know about Ohio jail procedures,laws,etc…but from my own experiences, you can’t strip search just because its an arrest.

A strip search is only acceptable if there is REASONABLE CAUSE for the search…i.e…is the strip search relevant to the arrest?..such as:
1)drug related crime

2)violent crime

3)previous arrests related to those offenses…or PREVIOUS BEHAVIOR(had they dealt her previously?)

4)reason beyond a doubt justifying the search(hiding evidence,contraband,etc.)

Other than that…A STRIP SEARCH WILL NEVER BE JUSTIFIED. And the opposite sex cannot conduct the search or be in the same room. I’m sure thats universal. If their laws and procedures regarding strip searches are anything like Texas…they violated them unless of course this was due to a “suicide watch.”

If she was PROPERLY evaluated and was being placed on “suicide watch” then the strip search would be justified…but only under the SAME PROCEDURES(done by same sex,etc.) and given at least a paper gown,suicide vest.

From my experiences,people will answer “yes” to questions about suicide,etc. and want to change their minds when they realize they have to strip and be placed in a single cell with nothing but a paper gown or suicide vest. Jail and medical staff will take your answers seriously for obvious reasons. If she refused to cooperate after supplying answers that warranted a suicide watch…they are justified in forcibly removing her clothes. Their methods in doing so is another question though.

Even with that,this whole arrest was fubard to begin with. Possibly poor judgement on the arresting officer,jail staff…and even maybe the lady that was arrested. We shall see.
[/quote]

“We shall see” is far and away the best part of your post.

JeffR

48

[quote]NDM wrote:
Professor X wrote:
JD430 wrote:
Professor X wrote:
JD430 wrote:
tedro wrote:
Professor X wrote:
JD430 wrote:

I dont know what happened here.

Yet you sure seem to have made up your mind alread
If you read his post, it doesn’t look like he has made up his mind at all. He has simply pointed out there are two sides to the story, and gave reasons as to why the police may have acted as they did.

Thank you.

I did miss the professor’s anti-police rants, however.

I would like you to go find some posts of mine that were “anti-police”.

Where? In every damn police thread you ever got involved in.

Perhaps your bias is so total and complete you can’t even recognize it as such.

No, I asked you to find those posts because I am well aware of what I write on here. The last thread on police action I was involved in was about an old woman who was killed in her own apartment when police mistook her home for a drug dealer’s house. That case turned out to be in favor of the old woman. How is that “anti-police” because I found that action wrong?

I asked you that question because I know that the only way you can label me with being “anti-police” is to completely mis-interpret or deliberately lie about what the discussion was about.

Why lie?

Go find those posts. I promise I’ll wait.

Until then, don’t put words in my mouth that were never spoken.

NYPD’s Finest?
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1349629

From my experience, this woman is either on drugs or has a mental illness. I’ve had to restrain people just like her, and it isn’t fun or pleasant for anyone involved. This was probably a last resort for the police.
[/quote]

Good thread. Let’s look at my first few sentences in the first post:

Apparently, according to you, pointing out questionable actions means “anti-police”?

Oooh, this exchange was classic:

[quote]JD430 wrote:
This would be the third time in two weeks that I try to shed some light on police use of force situations. I’m not going to bother.

All you guys that are trying to explain how the police could have been justified, how the number of shots doesn’t mean anything really given the stress of a combat situation etc…you are wasting your time. There are a couple of guys on here who carry a pretty severe bias against the police and don’t want to hear anything else. Like somebody mentioned above, the one guy has no problem using the term “pigs” in thread titles.

I’m pretty sure no amount of education will open their minds, so I would leave it be. [/quote]

To which I responded

[quote]Let’s be truthful here. The last post I responded to you in the Politics forum, you were attempting to justify why three cops who were OUT OF UNIFORM would run into the house (breaking down the door) of a 92 year old woman WITHOUT SHOWING A BADGE OR ANY FORM OF ID based on a warrant which was a situation that ended up with the 92 year old woman firing at who she thought were intruders, her getting killed, and three cops getting injured.

That situation, and this one sound shady as all hell yet you want people to simply gloss over it and justify it?

When authorities are given weapons to control the population, expect for questionable situations…to actually be fucking questioned. Both of those incidents point to a problem with police tactics, not a problem with the public for not understanding it better.[/quote]

So, let me get this straight…every cop on the board apparently considers any question of any action to be “anti-police”. Does this mean you all don’t expect to be questioned when things go wrong or are you so blind to the fact that you are also “civil servants” that you think you SHOULDN’T be questioned?

49

[quote]Professor X wrote:
So, let me get this straight…every cop on the board apparently considers any question of any action to be “anti-police”. Does this mean you all don’t expect to be questioned when things go wrong or are you so blind to the fact that you are also “civil servants” that you think you SHOULDN’T be questioned?[/quote]

When did things go wrong exactly, and for whom?

50

[quote]NDM wrote:
Professor X wrote:
So, let me get this straight…every cop on the board apparently considers any question of any action to be “anti-police”. Does this mean you all don’t expect to be questioned when things go wrong or are you so blind to the fact that you are also “civil servants” that you think you SHOULDN’T be questioned?

When did things go wrong exactly, and for whom?

[/quote]

In this case about the woman? I wouldn’t know. I haven’t judged whether this woman is in the wrong or whether the cops were. All of the facts aren’t in and there really aren’t enough to even sway judgment either way. I already wrote this in this thread so why act like it wasn’t written?

That doesn’t erase the fact that the thread you pulled up doesn’t show “hatred of the police” or me being “anti-police”. It shows what my sentiment has always been…that cops should expect that when things go wrong or a questionable action is made, they will be questioned publicly about it.

I am more worried about those of you in uniform who apparently think this shouldn’t happen.

51

[quote]Professor X wrote:
NDM wrote:
Professor X wrote:
So, let me get this straight…every cop on the board apparently considers any question of any action to be “anti-police”. Does this mean you all don’t expect to be questioned when things go wrong or are you so blind to the fact that you are also “civil servants” that you think you SHOULDN’T be questioned?

When did things go wrong exactly, and for whom?

In this case about the woman? I wouldn’t know. I haven’t judged whether this woman is in the wrong or whether the cops were. All of the facts aren’t in and there really aren’t enough to even sway judgment either way. I already wrote this in this thread so why act like it wasn’t written?

That doesn’t erase the fact that the thread you pulled up doesn’t show “hatred of the police” or me being “anti-police”. It shows what my sentiment has always been…that cops should expect that when things go wrong or a questionable action is made, they will be questioned publicly about it.

I am more worried about those of you in uniform who apparently think this shouldn’t happen.[/quote]

You don’t believe that you have a little bit of a bias against the police?

52

[quote]NDM wrote:

You don’t believe that you have a little bit of a bias against the police?[/quote]

You don’t believe you have a little bias FOR the police?

53

[quote]Sloth wrote:
Professor X wrote:
nephorm wrote:
This was not Rodney King all over again.

Well, according to at least two posters in this thread, that is exactly what it is…an alert that white women are now being racially profiled.

Well it is. And if she doesn’t get justice, watch out! There’ll be looting on Wall Street and in every Home-Depot across the nation![/quote]

Yeah! I’ll set fire to my own house and demand the government rebuild it for me!

54

[quote]Professor X wrote:
NDM wrote:

You don’t believe that you have a little bit of a bias against the police?

You don’t believe you have a little bias FOR the police?[/quote]

The bottom line is this was abuse, harassment and misuse of power. Nobody, arrested for a misdemeanor, should be manhandled this way. If it came to a point where physically holding and stripping a person was necessary it would have been because of assault on a police officer which is a felony, not a misdemeanor. If you arrest a felony suspect for rape, murder, etc. I’d expect such treatment, but a misdemeanor? What the worst misdemeanor, smoking a joint or something?
All the officers (and the asshole sheriff) involved should be fired and charged with assault and battery, unlawful arrest, illegal search and seizure, etc. The city should be sued into poverty as far as I am concern. Fuck, imagine if you were cause speeding!

The woman didn’t even break the law. The actions of the police in this case were indefensible.

55

[quote]Professor X wrote:
NDM wrote:

You don’t believe that you have a little bit of a bias against the police?

You don’t believe you have a little bias FOR the police?[/quote]

I know this wasn’t addressed to me, but I’ll be the first to admit that I have a bias for the police.

In a given situation with little info given, I am going to give the benefit of the doubt to the policeman. Of course there are bad ones out there and situations of police brutality that are unwarranted, but in the majority of cases the police do the right thing.

The funny thing is, I have actually been involved in a case of a policeman abusing his power. It wasn’t a huge incident, and didn’t amount to anything more than a shouting match and a finger in my brother’s face, but it was a pretty clear case of a policeman acting out. Despite this, I will still make the assumption that most police officers are generally good. I’m not sure you can say that about your typical citizen involved in these cases.

56

[quote]tedro wrote:

Obviously there was no reason provided. That is the problem with this video. It is only showing one side of the story, without even mentioning the possibility that the police officers may have been acting appropriately, given the situation. It is sad that you consider the video “pretty clear evidence” that the cops were wrong. The media surely wouldn’t misrepresent law enforcement for a story, would they?
[/quote]

What would constitute a behavior by an arrestee that would deserve such a treatment? What is a case where treating anybody like this is a good idea? I can think of a few cases, but they would have to have done far, far, far worse than anyone even intimates this woman did.

57

[quote]pat wrote:
The woman didn’t even break the law. The actions of the police in this case were indefensible. [/quote]

Actually, she did break the law. She handed over her sister’s ID as her own. I wouldn’t be surprised if she broke more than one law, either, but we will have to wait to here the police’s story, not just the medias.

58

[quote]pat wrote:
tedro wrote:

Obviously there was no reason provided. That is the problem with this video. It is only showing one side of the story, without even mentioning the possibility that the police officers may have been acting appropriately, given the situation. It is sad that you consider the video “pretty clear evidence” that the cops were wrong. The media surely wouldn’t misrepresent law enforcement for a story, would they?

What would constitute a behavior by an arrestee that would deserve such a treatment? What is a case where treating anybody like this is a good idea? I can think of a few cases, but they would have to have done far, far, far worse than anyone even intimates this woman did.[/quote]

If the video we watched is 100% accurate, then you are right. I doubt it is. See JD’s and nephorm’s earlier posts for good reasons as to why they may have gone this far.

59

[quote]Professor X wrote:
nephorm wrote:
This was not Rodney King all over again.

Well, according to at least two posters in this thread, that is exactly what it is…an alert that white women are now being racially profiled. [/quote]

Why oh why does race always have to come into it? It doesn’t matter the color, abuse is abuse. Wrong is wrong, it doesn’t matter the race of the person.

60

[quote]pat wrote:
Professor X wrote:
nephorm wrote:
This was not Rodney King all over again.

Well, according to at least two posters in this thread, that is exactly what it is…an alert that white women are now being racially profiled.

Why oh why does race always have to come into it? It doesn’t matter the color, abuse is abuse. Wrong is wrong, it doesn’t matter the race of the person.[/quote]

Pat,

A better question would be: Why oh why did pox/chs return?

pox turns everything into racism.

JeffR