Psycho Cops Strip Search Innocent Woman

A woman is the victim of a crime, police arrive and quickly turn a bad situation into a truly horrifying one. This is a news report and be warned its very difficult to watch. Title courtesy of youtube.
MarineGunrocksays...

1) There should have been no men in that room.
2) The search might have been fully warranted.
3) I didn't see any excessive force. Yes, she was being held down and the "pretzel position" is simply a technique that allows one officer to control her legs. That doesn't mean she was in pain from that.
4) It's bullshit that she was int there nude for six hours. There is absolutely no way they can justify that.
5) This video would have seemed a LOT less dramatic had she not been screaming bloody murder the whole time.
6) Why the fuck were they videotaping it anyway?


Again, a prime example of a few officers fucking it up for the rest of the honest ones out there.

flavioribeirosays...

>> ^MarineGunrock:
2) The search might have been fully warranted.

Why? She was a victim. She shouldn't have been strip searched or arrested. It's absurd to strip search someone who hasn't been charged with a crime.

3) I didn't see any excessive force. Yes, she was being held down and the "pretzel position" is simply a technique that allows one officer to control her legs. That doesn't mean she was in pain from that.
She was taken down and immobilized. That by itself is excessive force.

5) This video would have seemed a LOT less dramatic had she not been screaming bloody murder the whole time.
She should've been screaming bloody murder.

This episode brings out the "Fuck the Police" side in me. In these scenarios all it takes is ONE person to point out the evil and stop the others, but everyone decided to play along.

I also wonder why this is on tape. I'm glad though, because otherwise she wouldn't have a case.

dannym3141says...

ok to try and get my head around this:
1. there MUST be more to this.. you do not go from "you mean hurt myself now, or ever in my life?" to suddenly being held down in a cell screaming blue batshit murder like a demon-possessed death metal singer.. seriously, how did it get there?

2. they shouldn't have had men there.. but because i don't have any answer to 1, there may be mitigating circumstances meaning that it's less mind-blowing (NOT RIGHT OR CORRECT, SIMPLY LESS MIND BLOWING... for example, she coulda said she had a knife stuffed up her arse and she was going to kill herself, and they didn't have enough women present to nullify the threat on her life in a politically-correct way, so they had to use a few men in order to save her from killing herself)

3. my spider senses tell me there's something more than meets the eye

aside from that - police are scary.. i regularly wonder what i'd do if i was unjustifiably mistreated by a policeman/men.. very worrying indeed

9058says...

Yeah the cops fucked up and someone should pay for this but i cant shake the feeling as well that something is missing from this scenario. It could spawn from my complete lack of trust in the media and their attempts to over dramatize everything by using words like "brutal" "shocking" "cruel" which it could be but hell the news uses these words to explain everything from 30 dead in an Iraq bombing to a puppy with hiccups, nothing more than ratings grabbing from media whores ready to do anything to get you to watch. I'm not sympathizing with the cops on this one but technically shouldnt the journalist NOT sympathize with the victim? I know that sounds cold but isnt it kinda Faux News of them to deliver the story totally geared to tell you what to believe and showing you who is wrong and who is right, shouldnt they just give the facts and let us decide? Some of you might hate me for saying that but I cant help it with the abysmal state our media is in today

spoco2says...

This video would have seemed a LOT less dramatic had she not been screaming bloody murder the whole time.

Sorry, but a woman being forcibly stripped while in handcuffs should be screaming bloody murder... Just not on.

This may have been some sort of gradual escalation that perhaps she didn't help from her demeanor... Maybe... but even if it were it's the police's DUTY to calm things down, work out the actual situation and react ACCORDINGLY.

Even if there is missing footage, they did NOT handle this the right way.

To what end were they stripping her in the first place?

I too though have the issue of never trusting the media to bring the whole story, and there's a lot here which they don't go into:

* The initial assault on her... what were the details?
* What exactly did happen around the driver's license?
* Was she intoxicated?
* Why did they think she was the attacker not the attacked in the first place?

Not excusing their actions whatsoever, but there are a lot of gaps in this report...

Crosswordssays...

There maybe more to this story than is being shown, but at the same time they're behavior doesn't just appear unjustified, but illegal. They broke their own regulation by having two men present while the woman was being stripped. They can say it was a strip search all they want, but she was most definitely stripped. In the second video they admitted they left her in the cell for 6 hours naked, plus the jail house surveillance clearly showed there was additional video footage of the event which was not handed over to the court. The lady may not have been 100% innocent or cooperative, but that's no excuse for what happened. And while a lot of the other accusations don't have the proof to back up the claims right now, in no way should they be dismissive of such claims, especially given the other instances of wrong doing on the part of the officers.

TheSofaKingsays...

The rest of the video would be helpful. It's also worth pointing out the the officers all knew the video was being taken, and even the female officers didn't seem to have a problem with what was happening. The woman clearly wasn't cooperating, and perhaps there were not enough female officers to handle the situation?

Xaxsays...

>> ^MarineGunrock:
5) This video would have seemed a LOT less dramatic had she not been screaming bloody murder the whole time.


I'm not sure what your point is. You fault her for screaming? Would the video be less disturbing if she were not?

This sort of shit is infuriating.

moodoniasays...

Shock and awe? voyeurism?

I posted a video I thought people should see! Especially since the victim wanted publicity and wanted her story told, figured that was the point.

I was very disturbed by this and thought people should have the chance to see it like I did. I want stuff like this to be seen so law enforcement agencies are forced to improve their game, knowing this is entirely unacceptable.

Wish I had time to compose a thoughtful comment but I'm going somewhereI'd rather not

toastsays...

every department of government is to force citizens to do as they want

> 3) I didn't see any excessive force.
> 5) This video would have seemed a LOT less dramatic had she not been screaming bloody murder the whole time.

She was already traumatised from being attacked. She needs someone to talk calmly to her, not strip her down. He held her arms behind her back, which could have been painful and if you were in a room surrounded by people you thought you could trust who are doing such humiliating things to you, OF COURSE YOU WOULD SCREAM. You have no feelings.

Why didn't they reply to her when she asked what they were doing? No one in that room said a word.
And I think I heard one of the men snicker as he closed her door.

papplesays...

"this is a case of idiots on parade"
That does not make this event any less disturbing.

"... nothing but voyeurism"
Choggie, maybe you'd actually feel something if it was your loved one being forcibly stripped by 3 men and 2 women. Better yet, have it happen to you, and have no one care. Because those that did it to you were simply idiots...

EDDsays...

I think I'll follow choggie's example and take no side here.

Except, I will say this: I simply hope she sues the city and/or county as well slams all the sheriff's deputies and the sheriff individually with lawsuits for sexual assault, assault and battery, false arrest, intimidation and whatever else is possible.

I am the friendliest, most easy-going and reserved individual you will ever meet. But if my wife was treated like this (and watching this video made me realize it) I would definitely ruin the lives of the ones responsible. Think something along the lines of "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel".

MarineGunrocksays...

Ugh. None of you, including myself, know enough about this situation to cast any calls on whether or not this was justified (the search)
@flavioriberio: immobilizing someone is NOT excessive force. For all we know, the officers had plenty good reason to suspect that this woman had a razor blade somewhere on her body, yet was unwilling to cooperate with the police.
"Everyone playing along" Again, it might have been fully warranted. Like someone said, even the female officers seemed to think that it was perfectly justified.

Just because she called 911, she is not automatically the victim.

Do you people really think that there's no way in the world that she was indeed attacking someone with a razor blade, and then called 911 on them? It could quite possibly be that who ever attacked her told the police that she had cut them with a blade, and had the cuts to prove it, and that the arresting officer couldn't find it. Therefore, she gets taken to jail where they search her clothes for a blade and fail to find one. They ask her if she has one or not, and she replies with a "Fuck you." They are then forced to perform a strip search to find the blade.

The video seems so traumatic because she is screaming bloody murder, and for all we know, the officers had every right to be doing that strip search. Should there have been males in there? No. Should she have been left naked? No. But none of you can tell me that she didn't deserve a strip search. For all you know, she was kicking any officer that tried to approach her, and that's why they were forced to restrain her. I'll reiterate: restraining someone is NOT excessive force. If they had a knee in her lower back and one on her neck, that would have been.

@Spoco: " Sorry, but a woman being forcibly stripped while in handcuffs should be screaming bloody murder... Just not on."


No, a completely innocent woman being forcibly stripped while in handcuffs should be screaming bloody murder. We don't know that this woman is completely innocent.

@Xax: "
I'm not sure what your point is. You fault her for screaming? Would the video be less disturbing if she were not?
"

No, I don't fault her. I was merely stating that the video would have been less traumatic is she wasn't screaming.

@toast: "
Why didn't they reply to her when she asked what they were doing? No one in that room said a word.
And I think I heard one of the men snicker as he closed her door.
"

They might have already told her every reason why they were doing it. Maybe they just got sick of answering the same question 300 times.

"OF COURSE YOU WOULD SCREAM. You have no feelings."

Don't fucking tell me I have no feelings. I'm being objective. And no, I would scream IF I were indeed being treated badly. We don't know that she is.

@EDD: We don't know if it was a false arrest.

<cruise control>
THERE AREN'T ENOUGH FACTS IN THESE VIDEOS TO PRESENT A STRONG ARGUMENT FOR EITHER SIDE.

10060says...

this is..hell..but are already marked with journey to hell..afterlife..after death..no problem they are already in hell..and they will be punished to the rest of his miserable police life..that was...really bad..and they will pay for that!!

millertime1211says...

I read all the comments and MOST seemed to come up with a reason WHY she should have been searched. How about this scenario. A lady is taking food to her elderly grandmother. Her drunk cousin shows up who grandma took in because she is a screwup. Cousin hits her and then takes off back to the bar. Helpful neighbor calls police. Lady hands them ID of her dead sister she keeps for memories by accident, cop thinks she's lying and starts playing tough guy cop and arrests her. They take her to the station (without getting medical attention first) and she is uncooperative since she just got beat up and has a concussion. Cops get pissed and since she has cuts/bruises assume she did it to herself. She's now a suicide threat and next thing lady knows she's naked in a cell wrapped in toilet paper!

siftbotsays...

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Police, state, brutal, tactics, strip, search, kafkaesque' to 'Police, state, brutal, tactics, strip, search, kafkaesque, hope steffey, stark, salem' - edited by MycroftHomlz

jwraysays...

2) The search might have been fully warranted.

The onus is on the officers to prove that there was reasonable cause, not on the victim to prove that there wasn't. Strip search is unnecessary in almost all situations. They can use a fucking metal detector like airports, and the chance that she'd pull a ceramic glock out of her ass is next to nil. And even if she did, the cops could defend themselves reactively instead of indulging in this preemptive oppression. Protecting her from herself can never justify a strip search.

5) This video would have seemed a LOT less dramatic had she not been screaming bloody murder the whole time.
If the cops cross a line, it's her duty to resist them.

moodoniasays...

Hey, back from the hosp. Glad to see this video has garnered attention. Some pretty fierce reactions too and then theres choggie with whatever he or she was trying to say about monkeys and turds.

Arsenault185says...

I have to side with MGR on this. There is SO much shit we don't know. I'm not going to present any argument one way or the other, and I plead you do the same. Take it for what its worth, and reflect on it. Stop berating one another over what ifs and possibilities.

gwiz665says...

I siding with MG on this one as well. It seems as though there is no reason for the strip search, but we certainly don't have all the evidence. The screaming could be brought on by her simply being scared, which is what the general opinion is, as far as I can tell, but it could easily be that she's drugged, drunk or something similar which have made her act irrationally before the video was taken and which prompt the cops' actions here.

There is not enough evidence to conclude that this was not what should be done. Hopefully, an investigation is launched on this that uncovers that evidence, but until then the jury is out.

Edit: She could indeed be bat-shit insane, which would drive any person to take every precation to search anyone properly.

yonderboysays...

2) The search might have been fully warranted.
Why? She was a victim. She shouldn't have been strip searched or arrested. *It's absurd to strip search someone who hasn't been charged with a crime.
**It's called possible/probable cause. By "might have been fully warranted" he means you don't know the reason they did it. If cops saw me smoking weed and then I slipped it into my pocket... guess what... they have the right to search my pockets. WITHOUT ME BEING CHARGED WITH A CRIME. If I shove that joint up my ass... guess what else they have a right to do.

3) I didn't see any excessive force. Yes, she was being held down and the "pretzel position" is simply a technique that allows one officer to control her legs. That doesn't mean she was in pain from that.
*She was taken down and immobilized. That by itself is excessive force.
**Did you just say that being immobilized is automatically excessive force? Can you *REALLY* not think of a single situation where cops would legitimately need to immobilize someone? C'mon... you can't possibly be that stupid/naive

flavioribeirosays...

>> ^yonderboy:
2) If cops saw me smoking weed and then I slipped it into my pocket... guess what... they have the right to search my pockets. WITHOUT ME BEING CHARGED WITH A CRIME. If I shove that joint up my ass... guess what else they have a right to do.


I'm not qualified to discuss the legality of strip searches, since I know very little of American laws, and lately the US legislation has changed to allow a lot of invasive procedures in the interest of "national security". What I hold is the personal belief that it's absurd to strip search someone without a proper accusation. A police officer shouldn't be able to do it just because he feels like it. Your example hinges on the whole "war on drugs" issue, which I also think is very damaging from a civil liberties standpoint.

3) Did you just say that being immobilized is automatically excessive force? Can you REALLY not think of a single situation where cops would legitimately need to immobilize someone? C'mon... you can't possibly be that stupid/naive

Being immobilized without being charged with a crime is (to me) excessive force.

I think your example about weed shows we have a deeper disagreement about civil liberties. I believe that getting immobilized by the police is a REALLY BIG DEAL. A police officer shouldn't have the right to hold someone against his or her will without making a formal accusation which he would later have to follow through with legal procedures. Otherwise they can just go around intimidating people and charging them with "resisting arrest".

John776says...

Been a while for any comments. Can't believe that people thought there might be an excuse for this kind of treatment!!
Here's a Cut & Paste of just SOME of the cop's BS I have found while looking into this:
This is the BCI report that Agent Christy S. Palmer sent to John D. Ferrero, Prosecuting Attorney Stark County Ohio.
Dated April 16, 2008 BCI Case #: SI-76-08-14-0147

This is part of page 3

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/?action=view¤t=BCI-Report.jpg

Sheriff Swanson has ALWAYS maintained that Steffey was ASKED & REFUSED to remove her cloths.

But here’s the BCI’s OWN REPORT that PROVES this is a LIE!

And then they try to explain away their first lie with another lie, about why it was done this way without asking Steffey to do it voluntarily.

They are trying to say that Steffey was resisting enough that EIGHT people (5 women, 3 men) couldn't take the chance of ASKING her to remove her cloths, or EVEN TELL HER WHAT WAS GOING ON!!!
What a crock!!

I did NOT see any resisting in the video, I saw eight cops parading her to the cell, with her in cuffs.

In fact EVERY video I have seen she is in cuffs!
And the ONLY times I have seen her react to the cops is after they have assaulted her or in the process of stripping her naked.

But apparently catching the sheriff's dept in a lie isn't a big deal to our "independent" BCI investigator, Christy Palmer, who seems ready to accept ANY excuse the sheriff's dept wants to use.

The report also goes on to say that they lowered Steffey in a slow controlled manner to the floor. Except that Steffey says she was thrown to the floor.
She also told her husband in a phone call that she thought the cops had broken her nose.
And she was treated by the nurse for the injury.
And in page 4 of this report Christy Palmer even states that Steffey reported that her nose was making "crunching noises".

So I guess this is proof of a second LIE! (Or third)

And still Christy Palmer, the "independent investigator" doesn’t think twice about accepting the word of the cops over the VICTIMS in spite of proof.
BTW, Christy also references a video that she says “proves that she was lowered in a slow controlled manner to the floor”. As far as I know, THIS would have to be on the 'non-existent' beginning of the strip video.
On May 5th when I asked about the "missing" video, I was told it would soon be released.
Now here again it looks as though it’s referenced...even though they NOW claim it does not exist.
Interesting. (I have filed a request for this video.)

This isn’t so much an investigation report as it is a smear campaign against Hope Steffey.

The cops can polish this turd as much as want, this STILL STINKS!

BTW I don't know why they bothered to black out the names of Nurse Coren Lennon and the jail psychologist Thomas Anuszkiewicz, aren't they PROUD of the work they do?

John776says...

Officials at Stark County & the State saying they could see nothing wrong with this video. And a few people on other sites have agreed with them!

BUT just so we’re all on the same page, lets review the video….

First of all, this video STARTS after Steffey is already forced down on the bunk. The camera operator tells investigators she doesn’t know WHY the whole recording isn’t there. And the piece that is “missing” is exactly when Steffey claimed she was never asked to remove her cloths & was assaulted by the staff. No problems with the ‘magic’ camera…RIGHT? (I contacted the sheriff’s office May 5th and was told the video would “probably” be released in discovery. They never denied its existence THEN.)

Plus what Swanson & the officials are saying is that not only is it ok for 8 people, men & women to be present, the men are also allowed to remove a woman’s cloths. EVEN if there are enough women there to do it.

And if a woman ‘reacts’ to being stripped by men & women, with spectators also standing there, while being videoed, the men are not ONLY allowed to RESTRAIN her, they are also allowed to pull her arms in submission holds, while yelling for her to “STOP IT”.

And then AFTER she is already stripped naked, its STILL ok for the men to put her in an arm bar submission hold, if she starts screaming while they force her crossed legs against her butt, while waiting to “change a mat”.

And its also ok for the camera, which is supposed to be on the prisoner at ALL times, to deliberately swing away so you can’t tell what they are doing to her. Plus they have no explanation for WHAT they are doing. No problem here too RIGHT?

===== Yeah, just having a couple men TWICE her size, and a couple women, JUST restraining her isn’t enough, if she doesn’t cooperate, they can also TORTURE her into SUBMISSION. =====

And then once they leave, these “professionals” can have a good laugh…I guess they didn’t realize the camera was STILL running!!!

THIS is what ALL the Swanson supporters are good with…RIGHT?

Because Swanson and the “investigators” are OK with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDRsCkc-9k0

siftbotsays...

The thumbnail image for this video has been updated - findthumb requested by eric3579.


The duration of this video has been updated from unknown to 6:06 - length declared by eric3579.

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