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A sheriff’s deputy stands in the hallway while prisoners attend educational classes at the San Francisco County Jail in San Bruno, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. (Photo By Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO – A new legal claim filed with the city alleges at least 19 women who were being held at a San Francisco jail were forced to strip and be searched in front of sheriff’s deputies who taunted them and filmed the ordeal.
The claim – which was filed with the city on Thursday afternoon by the women’s attorney, Elizabeth Bertolino – alleges the women were subjected to “a mass, unlawful, and degrading strip search” on May 22 while they were being housed in the B-Pod at the San Francisco County Jail.
“I am honored to represent these 19 brave women,” Bertolino told KTVU. “What they endured is gender-based violence carried out under the color of authority. Their voices are going to drive real change, and we will work relentlessly to ensure this ends with systemic reform.”
The backstory:
According to the claim, the searches were conducted “without advance notice and without any individualized suspicion of contraband or weapons,” as is required by Penal Code section 4030.
They were also not conducted in a private space, and instead were performed where several deputies and detainees – even those who were not themselves being searched – could see, according to the claim.
“Deputies activated body-worn cameras during the strip searches despite a specific policy prohibiting that practice, and a supervising sergeant taunted the women that their nude videos could be posted online,” the claim said. “The women were not given clean clothing after the searches, which increased their humiliation and discomfort.”
Many of the women who were searched were left crying and “emotionally devastated,” and the claim also said that “many felt that they were being punished rather than legitimately searched.”
The claim further alleges that, after the May 22 search, the women were subjected to continuous harassment and intimidation, including “sexual comments about their breasts and buttocks” and at least one instance where a deputy who participated in the searches groped a detainee.
“Multiple women have filed written grievances about the May 22 search and related misconduct in B-Pod,” the claim said. “Others have expressed fear of reprisals if they speak out. The widespread nature of the complaints, combined with the involvement of supervisory personnel, indicates not an isolated incident but a serious and ongoing problem within B-Pod and the Sheriff’s Department.”
Because of the alleged searches, the claim says several of the women have suffered from trauma and injuries such as “severe emotional distress, humiliation, shame, anxiety, loss of sleep, fear of retaliation, and a loss of sense of safety and dignity,” as well as fear and vicarious trauma for those who were forced to witness the alleged searches.
What’s next:
The legal counsel representing the group of women said that the victims wish to remain anonymous, and the claim said the group is seeking unspecified damages from the city for “past and future emotional distress, for violation of their statutory and constitutional rights, for their loss of dignity and privacy, and for all other damages recoverable under California law, including damages available under the Bane Act and the Gender-Based Violence Act.”
“Claimants respectfully request that the City and County of San Francisco accept this claim for damages, acknowledge the wrongful conduct of its employees, and take prompt and effective steps to correct the policies, practices, supervision, and culture that led to the… strip search and the continuing harassment and gender-based violence in B-Pod,” the claim said.
The other side:
KTVU reached out to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office and the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability for comment, but did not hear back prior to publication.