Comments on: This is your police state - woman violently strip searched

by: RonBeal

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:49:39 +0000

I live in the UK and quite frankly viewing this clip has sent shivers down my spine. I find it hard to believe this was actually genuine police Officers conducting this ???? I’m not really quite sure how one would exactly describe what happened in that cell. I must admit at first glance it could easily have been confused as a small group of people enthusiastically filming some cheap porno movie. I’ve been trying to piece together what really would have been their motivation for stripping this poor woman completely stark naked. Surely one could only accept such actions being justifiably ‘for her own protection, had they in fact let her keep her lower underwear on, leaving her with perhaps a small amount of dignity, and quite frankly male officers being present in the cell at the time was bad enough but actually taking part in this strip, would only force peoples imaginations to run completely wild. The whole complexity of this incident is hard to understand, surely they had to be aware their actions were being filmed. I also fail to understand how the Sheriff is genuinely able to justify their actions. Once the lawsuit gets into full swing this particular scandal could escalate and cause disastrous consequences for the Police Dept’s relations with the general public, but having said that, it so happens these days that every now and again when the public is protesting over some police issues or the like, very often the general contention is that these things so very simply get brushed under the carpet so to speak and we never get to hear any more about them. I’ve read some other comments on this site suggesting sexual motivation, but to me it doesn’t seem very likely because of the sheer number of male and female officers involved at the time. With respect, may I say, to holiday in beautiful America has always been very high on my agenda, but please forgive me now when I say that, should this particular Police Dept get away with their treatment of this poor innocent woman, then to be quite honest, it’s fair to say that frankly I’d worry less if my family holidays ended up elsewhere, perhaps a place where Police Officers behave a little more dignified and just a little more peaceful. I apologise if anyone’s offended by any of my comments but I feel these words need to be said, and I’m sorry this piece is so long it probably comes across more like an article than just my comments. Finally in conclusion, I am of course fully aware that in general the Police are a decent bunch and do one heck of a job, putting their lives at risk every day and so on, and naturally I’m sure no one would argue that they are a courageous lot and it’s quite unjust and unfair that this will have to reflect on so many. But clearly this really is scary stuff, no matter what the outcome, it’s still going to continue to be a worry and concern for a whole lot of people.
Ron Beal
UK

by: DB

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:17:24 +0000

If this poor woman was actually taken before the judge wearing nothing more than a vest, I have to wonder what the hell is wrong with that judge! You would think he would have been outraged.

I think every single person involved with the judicial system in that county should be under investigation, from the judge down to the perverted bystanders video taping this horrible event. Most jail cells have a video camera in them and I’m pretty certain they kept her naked so they could watch her from the comfort of the video monitor at the front desk. ‘To protect and serve’ - yeah, right!

It has been said that police have more in common with criminals than with the average citizen. The only real difference is that cops are usually not concerned with having to take responsibility for their illegal actions.

Joel Balducci in Boston is one example.

by: Shannon

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:28:51 +0000

I was glad to read that the Sheriff in another county in the Cleveland area spoke out against this and focused on the fact that no forcible removal of clothing should involve officers of the opposite sex.

That was Gerald McFaul, Cuyahoga County’s sheriff (Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are pretty much the same thing, as Cleveland takes up most of it…). He’s a Dem and I think up for re-election this cycle…

by: grendelkhan

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:02:24 +0000

All of the defending of cops for being such delightfully nice people would matter way, way more if the Blue Wall wasn’t a standard feature of cases like this. (Hell, if they hadn’t had taping requirements, it’s likely we’d have never heard about this in the first place.) I’ve had some contact with cops, and it’s all been very professional; I’ve had no reason to think that any of the officers I’ve met are tase-happy power junkies. But that’s just a smooth mixture of luck and privilege talking; I don’t really have any way to know that.

If more cops don’t want to be tarred as mindless cogs in our emergent authoritarian nightmare, perhaps they shouldn’t be complicit in the conspiracies of silence which lead to the mountain of abuses we’re now seeing the merest tip of.

by: MikeEss

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:35:28 +0000

“Oh no no no…she was in custody- that PROVES she’s guilty of something!”

…and since we already KNOW she’s guilty, there’s no need to waste time and money on a “trial”. Besides that’s pre-9/11 thinking…

Let’s get straight to the tasing and waterboarding.

If you don’t show these civilians who’s boss they’ll be running wild in the streets!…

by: louise

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:26:22 +0000

“…assume that she was innocent,”

WHAT? In America? Oh no no no…she was in custody- that PROVES she’s guilty of something!

by: epistemology

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:44:28 +0000

Mold: This woman was accused of disorderly conduct at worst. Is a strip search appropriate for this?

A woman is snatched off the street and held down and stripped and humiliated, then left all night naked in a cell where men could see her. Nobody disputes that. You say you want to give the state (the police) the benefit of the doubt. I’m guessing you are an immigrant or a Republican.

In this country, the people get the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure you would agree that her treatment was punishing. You say you don’t want to judge the police until you see all the facts. Why don’t you assume that she was innocent, and that you won’t judge HER until you see the facts? Isn’t THAT supposed to be the default position in this country? According to you the people are guilty until proven innocent, and the police are innocent until proven guilty. Does this sound like protect and serve to you? You are no friend to the fair and honest police.

by: atheist woman

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:28:24 +0000

Speaking of police brutality had you all heard about that poor man they dumped out of a wheelchair? You can see the video on CNN here : http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/02/12/deeson.fl.disabled.man.dumped.wtsp

by: Mold

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:27:44 +0000

My basic premise is to have more data before I condemn. Remember McMartin? Felt the same about that, I did.

Diallou(sic) was criminal activity on the part of police. I will vote to convict any officer that crosses over into criminal. However, I have observed suspects doing many things to avoid the oh-so-obvious outcome. So, I want to see more than a person and their attorney telling me a tale. One really nice movie, “A Taxing Woman”, put it best when a character broke down and begged to be let go. Once the tax oficer left, his demeanor changed. Yes, I’ve seen it for meself.

As for videotape, Rodney King was doing some pretty goofy stuff before he was stopped. That’s why Simi Valley didn’t convict.

Another point is that we expect our police to react with measured and appropriate force. Was this strip necessary? Maybe. Maybe not. But I will not climb on the McMartin groupthink.

by: Banisteriopsis

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:20:51 +0000

If there were ever a case for vagina dentata…

How about one of these