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

reply to post by Hal9000


This is true. When you get processed into county here, you have to strip down and change into a jumpsuit after you are checked for contraband.

This woman should most certainly have been given a jumpsuit, and there should have been no men there under any circumstances, much less effecting the removal of the clothing.

reply to post by FredT

Perhaps not but if the safety of the two female officers was in doubt they have to have backup right? It is not unreasonable to expect that the officers safety is minded as well? Ive seen seen 10 year olds in the hospital need 5-6 nurses to restrain them during procedures. One agitated female may be a bit much to expect 2 female deputies to handle. Heck It may be too much for 4 for that matter and its unlikely this station had that many female officers avalible.

They did not need backup to rip her clothes off. If they couldn't do their job, then tough. They would have just had to wait.

Originally posted by zerotime
I live in Ohio and right now this is big news. It is playing on every station.

I missed the early news, but watched channel 3 at 11:00 and they didn't cover it. Which channel did you see it on?

[edit on 2/2/2008 by Hal9000]

Originally posted by jackinthebox
This woman should most certainly have been given a jumpsuit

No she shouldn't. If they thought she was suicidal she SHOULD have been given a Seg gown. Can't kill yourself with that but it should have been provided.

and there should have been no men there under any circumstances, much less effecting the removal of the clothing.

TOTALLY agree with that. I have NO idea what they were thinking. We've got some female guards that would scare the crap out of Tyson. There should be NO reason for males to be involved.

If the female officers could not do it alone then Hope Steffey should have been restraint untill more female back up could help.

I would also like to add that I think respectfully we should refer to Hope Steffey as a person rather than "she" or "her" wich sounds more like an object. Maybe hearing Hope Steffey's name will make it more clear rather than "she" or "her".

I haven't read all the posts, but i bet they're all as angry as me. This # has got me extremely heated. I consider this the final straw. We've seen this # happening all too often now and there hasn't been any proposition to change this kind of crap. I want to see some heads roll for this # right here. Justice should be heavier for these types of people. We rely on them to make sure the system works and they go on abusing it. These people are incompetent and don't belong in their positions as PUBLIC SERVANTS!! They should be under oath TO The PEOPLE, to SERVE and PROTECT. Who in the hell did it look like they were protecting there. They are beginning more and more now to treat citizens like criminals. If they were wearing a badge with some other nations flag on it, we wouldn't stand for it. But when they do it to us under the pretense of security, then the majority of the country seems to just go with the flow and hand over their rights in a basket. Especially when it comes to policy and oversight, or the lack there of. This case will hopefully change some things. This is a hard video to watch. I hope something is done. To set an example for the rest of the public servants out there, I think some harsh penalties should be handed to every official involved. People are gonna have to serve time for this. And I want that lady to own that station.

[edit on 2-2-2008 by me.b4ck]

reply to post by SpaceBits


You make a valid point and one that may clear up certain things here. Some have said that males shouldn't have been there, myself included. They're likening this to rape because of that. The fact of the matter is that CO's don't see inmates as people. They are inmates, charges. That may be why they don't see anything wrong with this. They see her as an inmate, not a woman. It really is a different world there folks.

Originally posted by intrepid

Originally posted by jackintheboxand there should have been no men there under any circumstances, much less effecting the removal of the clothing.

TOTALLY agree with that. I have NO idea what they were thinking. We've got some female guards that would scare the crap out of Tyson. There should be NO reason for males to be involved.

This is the hole point we are debating

I dont think this thread would have gotten so much attention if there were no men during the removal of Hope Steffey clothes.

[edit on 2-2-2008 by SpaceBits]

reply to post by intrepid


And therein lies the problem. They treat people like meat instead of citizens. Even before they are convicted of anything so henious as disorderly conduct.

reply to post by intrepid


Inmates aren't people? That's a sad commentary.

[edit on 2-2-2008 by whaaa]

Originally posted by Hal9000

Originally posted by zerotime
I live in Ohio and right now this is big news. It is playing on every station.

I missed the early news, but watched channel 3 at 11:00 and they didn't cover it. Which channel did you see it on?

[edit on 2/2/2008 by Hal9000]

The peacock station and their affiliates. I think the peacock is NBC. Someone can correct me on that if I am wrong. They were the station to break the story through one of their “call to action” investigation stories.

www.wkyc.com...

reply to post by whaaa

Inmates aren't people. That's a sad commentary.

Reminds me about the whole debate over the Gitmo prisoners. There was a thread about how the Supreme Court ruled that those prisoners were "non-persons."

I recall the first time I went in the hospital to give birth (first child).
It was to the point in the delivery where I was supposed to "push" the baby out. People were walking in and out of the room, and they had me in a rather embarrassing position. I kept thinking --- "Hey, how about a little privacy!"
But they see so many women in exactly the same situation, that I don't think they view it in the same light.

The problem isn't the way they view it, it's the way Hope viewed it, which is obvious from her reaction.

Originally posted by jackinthebox
And therein lies the problem. They treat people like meat instead of citizens. Even before they are convicted of anything so henious as disorderly conduct.

As well as those that are convicted of murder, pedophilia, rape, fraud, etc. Like I said, it's a different environment.

DAMN, with that video, i hope she and her man sue the city into a recession...... violating someone like that, even drug criminals dotn get striep dsearched like that, at least here in my city!!! unbelievable...
yes, it seems more and more cops and law enfocemnet so called officers are becoming violent and the enemies themselves... hell, in our local paper today, a police seargeant, making $90,000 a year, was forced to resign... apparently 2 15 year old boys, came forward and todl the press this sergeant was propsing to have sex wtih them,,,t he seargeant, was 40 something i belive...
sick world its become..: (

reply to post by intrepid


It is indeed a different environment and that is a problem. There were a lot of kids who I grew up with who were abused by police or in jail, and became the very thing the system is supposed to be preventing as a result.

Imagine what this incident would have done to a younger woman. She probably would have been ready to throw her life away to get back at the police.

These videos are so disturbing that one knows instictively that what is happening here is barbaric, plain and simple. These are the same cries that would have been heard hundreds of years ago when women were being raped and pillaged. Helpless.

To the female, and male officers in this video, you showed no compassion for the human spirit. You may mask youself in just doing your job, but I'm sorry, please get a new job. You neither protect nor serve.

Nothing, nothing this woman did in this situation could have warranted the officer's behavior.

Did this woman pull a gun? Did she pull a knife? Did she hurt your ego?

Can we please get a list of names of all officers on the video? Both women and men. The people of the community need to know who lives next door to them.

[edit on 3-2-2008 by seawolf197]

I think we should try and get this vdieo onto mainstream news somehow... fix 5 news, abc news, NBC so taht ALL will see and know

Originally posted by undo
I recall the first time I went in the hospital to give birth (first child).
It was to the point in the delivery where I was supposed to "push" the baby out. People were walking in and out of the room, and they had me in a rather embarrassing position. I kept thinking --- "Hey, how about a little privacy!"
But they see so many women in exactly the same situation, that I don't think they view it in the same light.

The problem isn't the way they view it, it's the way Hope viewed it, which is obvious from her reaction.

I agree and sorry for your embarrasment, but you see medical perfessionals are trained in those area's. Male officer's are not trained to strip woman nor are they trained proffessionaly on the female body. As males I think they are more than qualified to search a male though.

May I ask a question here? Well, maybe more than one. 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? Can't throw a football or baseball with Jimmy anymore. What about the sacrifices they make for society?

I'm not saying this action was right but few here seem to understand the jail environment. It's damn dangerous.