;)
Friday
Jun202008
State Charges Dropped in Hope Steffey Case
Friday, June 20, 2008 at 4:10PM 
According to a grand jury, Stark County deputies committed no criminal acts while arresting Hope Steffey two years ago. Nancy H. Rogers, Ohio attorney general, issued a statement saying that a Stark County grand jury did not hand down any indictments after reviewing the evidence presented by the state's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation Special Prosecution Sections.
The Steffey case was investigtated by Paul Scarsella, the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section for the Attorney General’s Office where he manages 4 attorneys and support staff. He was assisted by Bridget Carty, Public Integrity Unit Coordinator, and an Assistant Attorney General in the Special Prosecutions Section.
The Special prosecutors, Paul Scarsella and Bridget Carty, said the incident, in which male and female deputies forcibly removed Steffey's clothes at the Stark County jail, was a suicide precaution. They said the deputies were only following a medical order given by a doctor on duty to remove her clothes. Though the jail has suicide suits for inmates to wear, prosecutor Scarscella said Steffey was not immediately given one because even the suit was deemed too dangerous for her to have.
The Special prosecutors presented the results of their investigation to the grand jury without interviewing Hope Steffey. They said they were unwilling to interview her with her lawyers present, as she requested. Steffey did however appear before the grand jury. The grand jury declined to indict the deputies involved.
Steffey denied that she was suicidal or was given the opportunity to remove her clothes herself. There is no policy that prevents men from removing a female inmate's clothes during a suicide precaution situation. Men are however prevented from strip-searching a female inmate.
However, the findings of this grand jury will have no bearing on the federal lawsuit that Hope Steffey filed on Oct. 2007, accusing Stark County deputies of violating her civil rights by assaulting, strip-searching and leaving her injured and naked for six hours in a Stark County jail cell. She had to use toilet paper to cover herself. Defendants in the case are Swanson, Deputy Sheriff Richard T. Gurlea Jr. and one to 15 other "John and Jane Does" employed at the Stark County Jail, and the Stark County commissioners. That case is scheduled to go to trial in December.
Below is the video (in 2 parts) which documents Hope’s experience at the hands of the Stark County Sheriff’s Dept. The video is graphic (you’ve been warned!!)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daYBjfvEjfQ&eurl=http://shadmia.com/2008/02/14/innocent-woman-strip-searched/]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDuuo0k9xXw&eurl=http://shadmia.com/2008/02/14/innocent-woman-strip-searched/]
Whether or not the videotape was presented to the state grand jury will probably never be known, since the deliberations of grand juries are held in secret. But it is certain to be part of the civil case to be heard in federal court. Steffey's attorneys are now under federal court order to not discuss the case. But they have argued that the force used by deputies, and seen on the videotape, was brutal and unnecessary.
Reader Comments (81)
Wrlord, I too have seen that video and am not impressed by it in the least. For one thing, do you notice how there NO comments on that video? Meanwhile, just about every video posted to YouTube has comments, and there are literally HUNDREDS of comments on each video posting of Hope Steffey being stripped. It seems that the person who uploaded the "Hope Steffy a victim? I think not" video is a little too afraid to let anyone have freedom of speech. If that's not a sign to you that you are dealing with fascists here, I don't know what is. Secondly, I think we can all understand that Hope's husband is a little ticked off that his wife is calling him in the middle of the night from JAIL. Who wouldn't be? It also sounds like the Steffeys may have been having some marital problems, but so what? That's between the two of them. Now that Mr. Steffey knows what exactly went on that night, you do not hear him blaming his wife, do you? No, he is speaking out about how wrong it was for the police to do this to a fellow human being. In any case, however, Mr. Steffey's reaction to getting a jail phone call from his wife doesn't justify the way the police treated Hope. Nothing does.
Most of us are not naive enough to believe that Hope is some kind of completely innocent angel in all of this. In all likelihood, she was probably very annoying towards the police officer who arrested her and it definitely wasn't smart for her to be so sarcastic with the nurse (yes, I have also done enough research to have heard Hope say exactly what she said to the nurse, and not coincidentally, it was posted on YouTube by the exact same person who posted the video YOU linked to because they are trying to make Hope look as bad as possible), but it's very clear that these police officers wanted to torture this woman, probably in a sick attempt to teach her a lesson about not daring to "disrespect" them ever again, and no matter how troublesome she was or may have been, the officers did NOT have the right to abuse her the way they did.
Granted, not everything claimed in this case has been proven (yet), but just the stuff I know for SURE is very, very wrong:
#1. Men should never have been allowed in that cell, let alone allowed to participate in the violent forced stripping of every last piece of this woman's clothes. I was especially disgusted when I saw that one of the MEN took off her underwear. NO MAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO TOUCH AN UNWILLING, DEFENCELESS WOMAN'S PANTIES! This is NOT debatable!
#2. There was absolutely NO need for at least half a dozen people (both men and women) to be in that cell. After all, it was supposed to be a "suicide precaution measure," NOT a ringside circus! I guess everyone just wanted in on the action, but really, about half of them had no business being there. The strip should have been performed as privately as possible, if in fact it had to be performed at all.
#3. There were enough female police officers there to do the job, so why did they involve men in a situation where men clearly did not belong? If at least TWO female police officers can't handle a woman who already has her hands cuffed behind her back, they're a bunch of wusses who shouldn't be on the force in the first place. As it is, they should be kicked off the force because they're apparently a bunch of sadistic bitches, and it is very dangerous to have such people in positions of power. Honestly, what kind of woman could allow (and HELP) this to happen to another woman?! Also, at the end of the video, when they are locking Hope's cell door, I very clearly heard one of them LAUGHING. Sadism, sadism, SADISM!
#4. One of the male police officers is holding Hope's arms behind her back in submission holds even though her hands are already CUFFED behind her back. He is very rough with her and I'm amazed he didn't break her arms. Hope is crying and repeatedly saying the word, "Ow" (including "Ow, ow, my ARM!"). She is physically in pain and this is being completely ignored. What right did they have to physically harm a woman who is already kneeling/lying down with her hands cuffed behind her back?! What right do they have to ignore medical needs of a prisoner in their custody? NONE! All of this was done under the pretense of her own protection, but here they are inflicting psychological and physical harm on her!
#5. The MALE police officers twist and manipulate Hope's bare legs because they "have to change the mat." Why exactly did they HAVE to change the mat and why did it take them so long to do it? To torture Hope as much as possible, that's why! They could have let her stand up and step back while they changed the mat, but this is not what they did. They obviously wanted to do it the most violent, painful way possible, and again, I'm asking why did they have to change the mat in the first place? Was it really all that dirty?
#6. There is a moment when the camera swings away from view of Hope and the officers do something to her that causes her to release a blood-curdling, animalistic scream. What exactly did they not want us to see? Should the camera not have remained on her at ALL times?
#7. In the video, it is very obvious that Hope does NOT understand why all this is being done to her. I understand that they had to take her sarcastic words to the nurse literally (otherwise they could have been up on charges if she did harm herself while in their custody), but all the while she is being stripped, she is screaming "What are you doing?" and "What are you doing this for?" She at least had the right to know WHY they were doing what they did. To ignore these fair questions is only another means of torturing her.
#8. You do NOT leave someone stark naked for six hours in a COLD jail cell. Their excuse for not giving her a suicide suit (because she was deemed "too suicidal" to be allowed to have it) is purely BS. These suits are DESIGNED for such a situation. Period. They just wanted an excuse to keep her completely naked to prolong the humiliation and suffering as long as possible. Depriving a person of clothing IS a form of torture, both physical (cold) and psychological (powerlessness and embarassment).
#9. If it was true that Hope was at a risk of harming herself, she should have been sent to a mental health facility, not forcibly stripped naked at the local jail and restrained (both in handcuffs and painful submission holds) while a bunch of men and women basically did whatever they wanted to her. Traumatizing a defenceless woman to this degree is sure to cause a lot more psychological damage than she may already have had to begin with.
So, yes, in answer to the question posed by the video you linked to, Hope Steffey clearly IS a victim! The entire situation reeks of abuse and police brutality.
QUOTE "#6. There is a moment when the camera swings away from view of Hope and the officers do something to her that causes her to release a blood-curdling, animalistic scream. What exactly did they not want us to see? Should the camera not have remained on her at ALL times?"
Yes the camera is SUPPOSED to be on the prisoner at ALL times. On YouTube with similar videos, the only time the camera is moved is when the cops are doing stuff they could get in trouble for.
Steffey testified at her trial that the cops tore her ears when they removed her earrings. Could this have been that moment? Who knows...with the camera swinging away.
Also if her earrings are removed, do they check for other 'body piercings'? Do they check her for a tampon?
When the camera comes back on her, they have her crossed legs forced up against her butt, so WHY would they do that?
Try asking the sheriff's dept and see what answers you can get.
Telephone
(330) 430-3800
Electronic mail
General Information: strkshrf@raex.com
BTW You can forget about the Email address, if you want a reply. I don't know of anyone that has gotten one from them.
Oh I probably should mention that the Sheriff's dept conspired to keep information away from the grand jury investigators.
And I should probably mention that the sheriff's dept also said at the beginning of May that the "missing" video would be released to Steffey's lawyers. This is the video, that during the grand jury investigation, they claimed DIDN'T EXIST!
I guess everyone at the dept didn't know at that time its existence would later be denied....OOPS!
The 'missing' video is where Steffey claimed the cops attacked her and shoved her face in the floor.
The sheriff denies this happened.
But then the nurse admits that Steffey was later treated for a bruised nose.
(She also told her husband in the recorded phone call that she thought the police had broken her nose.)
Conflicting testimony and then the >FACT< of Steffey's injuries.
The 'missing' video is also where she claims she was NEVER asked to remove her cloths.
A MONTHS long investigation by the BCI NEVER finds the person that says Steffey refused!!!
Please read the above line again, they NEVER find who stated that?? One of the main points of the whole mess? After MONTHS?!?!?
I also talked to the investigators:
QUES Did you interview any of the other women claiming abuses, to establish a pattern of abuse?
ANS No
QUES I asked the investigators if they polygraphed anyone.
ANS Why would we do that, its not admissible in court.
REPLY I KNOW its not admissible in court, its to verify testimony, and find out the TRUTH.
ANS No, no polygraphs.
See he's trying to make it seem like its a waste of time, but go to their website and they have a whole polygraph division!!
This is exactly the kind of BS I have run into talking with these people, time after time.
QUOTE "The entire situation reeks of abuse and police brutality."
RC, you don't know the half of it...I wish I had taped my phone conversations with some of the people I called about this....unfrickenbelievable!
John, I'm so glad that YOU replied to my post, because I have seen your posts on other boards, and you are a hero to me. It's always nice to see that at least someone out there still cares about what's happening to other people. I'm not actually in the United States, otherwise I would love to be calling those numbers, but I follow this case as closely as I can and read all that is available to me on it, and sadly, your conversations with these people don't surprise me. What happened to this woman is quite obviously a human rights violation and the authorities know that. Perhaps they never expected this case to go public (because it seems that the sheriff has a history of treating female prisoners this way and getting away with it every time), but now that it's reached other people's attention, the sheriff and his gang of thugs are trying to cover their asses in any way they can. I feel sorry for anyone gullible enough to believe anything the sheriff says on this matter and can't see that this is a cover-up.
However, the fact that this case has gone public also means that the outcome of the trial will have a profound effect on what sort of country the United States ultimately becomes--whether it is a country where this sort of treatment towards a prisoner will not tolerated and where there will be consequences for the rapists; or a country where these despicable acts not only happen in secret (as they apparently do, unfortunately) but are OPENLY ACCEPTED AS LAWFUL. The latter possibility terrifies me.
I had heard that the federal trial was supposed to happen this month, but I can't find anything on it. Do you know whether or not the trial has already happened or if it is going to be postponed, or what? I will check back here for a response and hope to hear from you soon. God bless.
QUOTE "I had heard that the federal trial was supposed to happen this month, but I can’t find anything on it. Do you know whether or not the trial has already happened or if it is going to be postponed, or what?"
The "trial" has been put off a couple times. It is now set for May, but trust me, this case will NEVER go to trial.
None of the authorities can afford for this case to actually get to trial.
EVERYONE would then KNOW this was all a BS arrest and 'suicide prevention'.
Theres just TOO many conflicting versions, TOO much evidence "missing", a MONTHS long "investigation" that leaves too many questions, and too many illogical explanations for everything that was done.
They are probably throwing numbers around right now. You can expect this case to be settled like the three teen girls that were strip searched on a jail "tour", quietly and with a big chunk of taxpayer money.
Steffey is also suing to change policy, and according to the Bureau of Adult Detention, it is in the process of being changed now. But since its actually law, it will take legislators about a year to get it changed.
I have a problem with a lot of stuff that is now claimed as 'lawful', or should I say 'unlawful'. We have the highest incarceration rate in the world. And more & more stuff is being considered as illegal.
Look at smoking, police 'safety' checkpoints, seatbelts, child safety seats, and on and on. Its seems the government won't be satisfied until they are telling you how much toilet paper to use in the bathroom.
Scares me.
Hi again, John, and thank you for your response. Unfortunately, you are probably correct in saying that this will never go to trial because we live in a world where if you throw enough money at a problem like this, it will go away (and quietly). After all the medical and legal expenses this badly traumatized and injured woman has had to pay out, I wouldn't blame her if she settles out of court--unless she's particularly wealthy, I would think that this entire mess has left her in a very bad financial state and she probably needs to get reimbursement as quickly as possible. It's just a shame because if this did go to trial, with ALL of the available evidence provided for the jury, I don't see how she would lose, and this rotten sheriff and his team of rapists would finally have to answer for their crimes. If it's settled out of court, Swanson and his gang can go on pretending to have done the right thing, hold their heads up high in public, and probably continue doing this to even more women. Quite frankly, they all make me sick, especially the sadistic bitch female officers who could do this to another woman and then laugh about it. Shame on them all. Regardless of the outcome, I hope the public never forgives any of them.
Oh, and merry Christmas to you. :) I'll keep checking for updates on this case.
UPDATE
I just found out the counties insurance company is now in negotiations with Steffey's lawyers.
Like I said this will NEVER make it to a trial. GUARANTEED!
As I said before, theres just TOO many conflicting versions, TOO much evidence "missing", a MONTHS long "investigation" that leaves too many questions, and too many illogical explanations for everything that was done.
Instead they will pay out a big hunk of cash and hope it goes away quietly, but as you say, if that happens I would suspect the sheriff's gang to go back to their old ways.
Plus they will try BSing the taxpayers that the payment was out of the insurance and not their pockets, but then the taxpayers PAY for the increased insurance rates.
BTW the criminal investigation, by sheriff Swanson, into the three teens that were UNLAWFULLY strip searched, was turned over to the Stark County prosecutor, and they filed no criminal actions.
WOW, theres a surprise huh? (sarcasm)
PS Beside the five women that have come forward publicly to claim similar abuses at Stark County, I have also run across another while posting on the net.
She told me that it was too traumatic to go through to file a complaint, and that she just wanted to forget it happened.
I told her if she forgot about it, that the abuses will never be stopped, and that if ever there was a time to come forward, now would be the time.
Makes me wonder just how many other women have been put through this hell.
Bottom line - we live in a POLICE STATE. Most cops are lazy cowards. They'd rather bust a person who drank three beers, or treat an innocent person like Hope Steffey in this manner, as opposed to busting jerks for selling heroin to middle schoolers. Too many skinhead king-shit cops on the street. Then you have a grand jury composed of dumbed-down liberals to make sure that the gov't wins every time.
Well Beware, I have to be careful what I say about cops in general. I have relation that are cops and I have sheriff's deputies that I have worked with for years, plus I know and have friends that are prison guards.
And this is another reason I'm so PO'd about this.
Abuse like this reflects badly on ALL cops and puts everyone at more risk, since they claim the deputies have gotten death threats about this case.
So will deputies be safer when they go to someone’s house after the people have seen what happens to crime VICTIMS?
When deputies have to investigate crimes, will people be more willing to help after seeing this? Probably not, so the streets wouldn’t be safer either for ANYONE.
And since this has been on national news, it not only makes THESE local police less safe, it also puts MY friends & relation at more risk!
AS RD said " Most of us are not naive enough to believe that Hope is some kind of completely innocent angel in all of this."
And I understand sometimes things happen, but THIS Steffey case is complete BS!
But on the flip side, I have a friend that is a prison guard.
He was attacked by a prisoner.
After the prisoner was cuffed & shackled, he was moved to a new location. As fate would have it, his leg chains got tangled somehow at the top of the stairs...he didn't grab the rail, because his hands were cuffed, and no guards were close enough to catch him...OOPS!
I don't have a problem with this.
This was an already convicted felon, the attack was documented, and my friend was sure of the attacker's identity.
Plus this wasn't just a case of revenge, but a case of safety for every guard in there. These felons aren't afraid of more time, so an attack has to be responded to quickly to show that no guard can be attacked without a consequence.
Its the only way to make it safe, and I understand the need.
So Swanson's comment that citizens don't understand is bs, especially since correctional experts across the whole country have condemned this.
Anyway, just wanted to point out that not ALL cops are like this.
I was a victim of molestation from a police officer and it is one of the most scariest things that someone can go through. In my case, the cop said that he "smelled weed" on me. He then slammed me up against a wall and tried to search me. He put his hand up UNDER my shirt and under bra. I kept telling him that I wanted a female cop and that guys can't search females like that. He told me to shut the fuck up and that he could do whatever he wanted. The only thing that saved me from him sticking his hands down my pants was my friend seeing what happened and running with her phone trying to get video. As soon as the cop saw her with her phone taking video, he stopped. I was then detained 2 hours even though when the female cop got there and she searched me, I had no marijuana on me.
Anyways, back to the Steffey case. This brings back so many memories for me. Just like in this case, when I tried to report the cops, they brushed it under the rug. It is scary to know that these people who are supposed to be there to protect us. No matter what any female did, you do not do these things! I hope that these cops pay. And yes, they bring a bad name to cops because between the cop that did that to me and seeing all these things happening to these women and TEENAGE GIRLS, it makes me hate and distrust cops. I try to avoid them at all cost and that is sad because recently I was robbed from a friend and I was terrified to go to the police to file a report. I refused to allow them in my house and I went up with my boyfriend and had him sit there the whole time so I could get through it. By the end of it, I felt like I was having a panic attack and when I got in the car, I had to put my head in between my legs and breath because I was freaking out. My boyfriend knows the story about what happened to me, but he has never seen me like that. It scared him so bad he almost started crying because he told me that he could feel my pain radiating off of me.
These cops do not realize the emotional damage that they have done to people. It is like being raped. I hope that these people pay and it disgust me to no end how these women allowed these men to be present. If I was a female cop, I would have been like "Ummm, you need to leave now so I can search her." For them to allow these male cops to do this, allow them to take off her panties instead of one of the female cops, and then laughing about it when they closed the door makes me sick to my stomach. I just hope that all of these people get their just desserts.
Sorry to hear what happened to you Hate This. I hope you got a lawyer and sued, its the ONLY way to get this crap stopped.
The sheriff has been able to stop anything that makes them look bad and yet get out anything that they want to show.
As an update to this story, as you may or may not know the sheriff is using a HIGHLY edited video, with only audio, to convince people that Steffey admitted to being suicidal.
The only problem is that she is CLEARLY being sarcastic, NOT suicidal.
I have called and asked for the full unedited video, so that I can "enhance" the whole thing, but NOW the sheriff's dept claims its medical information and can't be released.
WTF?? They have ALREADY released THEIR version of it!! What a load of BS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e3LrhDs84g
I have a feeling that "suicidal" is now a scapegoat. I believe it is time to look at the laws we have and possibly reedit some things. Who decided she was suicidal? There's all this footage of something happening to her (by a cop) before she ever even got to the police station. If there is no history of suicide attempts, what can suggest that one is suicidal? Does it take the word of a "doctor" that happens to be there. If this person is distraught and disorderly, does that mean they are suicidal? I think a law that recieves federal punishment if broken needs to be enforced if some titty-happy cop is too quick to sing suicidal. Just so they think twice about it. This definitely goes back to womans rights. I mean she wasnt arrested for murder, she was taken in on disorderly conduct. Thats a slap on the wrist crime. Why would that make someone want to kill themselves? A very strong reason needs to stand if a woman is to be subjected to a strip search. note: a DUI is not a strong reason. Right now the excuse seems to be "they were suicidal." Its time for a closer look at our laws and the procedures that precede a justified strip search. This seems more like legalized molestation.
Lerinne In Steffey's case they said a doctor decided. What they don't tell you is that a doctor wasn't even there, they called him on the phone. He then claims he reached an "independent" decision, based on the reports they gave him! Incredible huh?
In the other lawsuit the women turned her self in on a home schooling issue, only to be arrested and held for THREE DAYS! She was told she was suicidal and had to wear a paper gown for THREE DAYS. The judge dismissed the case immediately and she was released. She should have been given a court date and released right away, then the sheriff has the guts to say they need more money & people. No kidding if you are putting EVERY person in jail for every lil BS charge. And now they have a lawsuit for this too.
The three teen girls that were strip searched have already settled their lawsuit. NO CHARGES were filed against anyone, but they paid out $300,000.
I have contacted ALL my Reps about this problem, they shrug it off as a "hot potato" subject. I plan to contact them all again soon. This is BS.
John,
THANK YOU for following these issues, providing us with this information and doing what you can to get this stopped. If you hadn't posted some of these stories, I and many others would never have known about them.
Can you give some information on how to help get this stopped? How can I help? These cases have made me ill, infuriated and ashamed of our system here in America. If I were a loaded with money, I'd make a documentary on these cases to raise awareness, and hold rallies to march against this horrific treatment of human beings. Unfortunately I am just a person trying to make ends meet like so many others these days.
Please let me know how I can help. I am sure that there are many others who would like to help as well. I'll keep checking for updates.
Thank you again for all that you have exposed.
Sincerely,
jetta
UPDATE The Steffey 'trial' has been set to July now. Apparently they can't get close on the number to settle on.
Jetta all I have done is contact people. Either my Reps or people that have been involved in this mess. The sheriff's dept is pretty much a dead end, except for their human resources person.
And the FBI gave me some good advice for finding information. The state people have no idea what is going on, unless they were directly investigating this case. And the ones directly investigating gave me this response: "not every action rises to the level of criminal culpability".
As for what can be done, I'm not sure.
As I said I expect this case to never make it to a trial. It will be settled and probably with a non disclosure added into it, so nothing will ever come out about what really was happening.
The sheriff had said that he wouldn't comment until the grand jury investigation, and that "then the facts would come out". Except that everything given to a grand jury is never supposed to be disclosed.
And now he's saying that he won't comment because of the lawsuit and that "then the facts will come out", even though he KNOWS it will be settled and never go to a trial, so nothing will ever come out.
Its aggravating, I wish I knew how to fix this.
Also the deputies are trying to sue the local TV station for "making them look bad".
I have to wonder if they are going to go after the national stations too. They looked bad on them also. I guess they don't yet realize the station didn't make them look bad....their own actions did!
http://www.cantonrep.com/archive/x309570834/Deputies-sue-TV-station-over-reports-about-woman-stripped-naked
The deputies on national news:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDk9ZyYslTw&feature=email
John... I first read about this last night on dailykos and saw one of the videos and can not stand to see anymore.
Thank you for being on this issue for a while now.
Because I really can't handle watching the videos anymore, could you please elucidate on what Hope said to the nurse in sarcasem?
This is just a curiosity on my part.... frankly, whatever she did could not have justified this treatement... I am astounded.
And I haven't even read about the 3 teenagers yet.
You said this got national attention... from whom? Has Oprah profiled this yet... this is obviously such a HUGE issue that must be occurring much more than we know... wtf... a mother and a daugher strip searched on the side of the road?
If these incidents are being reported you know they are just the tip of the iceberg...
This needs to be a huge issue, with Federal legislation passed to protect women and men (I'm sure it happens to them as well) from sexual predators with a badge. Sick bastards.
This thing has opened up a whole can of worms with me and I can't get it off my mind...
A couple of years ago in the town I live in a bartender was arrested for serving an underage customer (even tho the carding was supposed to be handled by the bouncer at the door, btw). She was also strip searched. But she sued and supposedly laws have been changed... but now I'm going to follow up on it and see what's really going on. I strongly suspect that poor women and women who deal with substance abuse issues probably have this done to them routinely.
Thanks again for your work... is there some sort of organized protest or some way we can raise the visibility of these travesties?
John, just to say, thanks for taking the time to look into this so thoroughly and make your findings known.
The only thing I can say at all in the defence of the police in this situation is that I wouldn't judge them too quickly for laughing when they left the room. Laughing can be a way of coping with a distressing situation and does not necessarily imply enjoyment. They could well have found it amusing but we don't know for sure just beacuase they laughed, even though we can safely say it was unprofessional for them to do so, especially on camera.
That's the only thing I could find to say in their defense.
Everything else about their behaviour was appalling. Like another post put it; no man should touch, let alone remove, the panties of a restrained, unwilling female in police custody. There was no justification for it and the only reasons i can imagine for this are stupidity or deliberate molestation.
I am not from the US and nor have I ever visited. I would like to but the more I hear about the many incidents of police brutality, and how the system fails the victims, it makes me think twice. I saw on the news in England earlier today a video showing US police violently attacking a 15 year old girl just for flicking off her shoe! And it seems from comments I've read that no-one is suprised that US police 'beat down' people who have never been found guilty of any crime. Why do the police think they can get away with that kind of thing? In fact, why is it that they can? From the outside these stories make the US look like a third world country.
Just out of interest, does Amnesty International ever have an opinion on treatment of people in custody in America?
Also, how can the law be changed to make sure that only women can be involved of the removal of womens clothes in custody? (Although I would have thought that the fact that men are not allowed to be involved in strip searches of females or see women showering would be enough to make the removal of womens clothes by men illegal too! Even if it is for suicide prevention.)
If I had a ton of money I'd give enough of it to Hope so that she never settled out of court.
Cece,
I know exactly how you feel, me too.
Ok heres a copy of the three teen girls story:
Teens claim they got strip searched on jail tour
Three girls suing after visit to Ohio juvenile detention center
updated 3:59 p.m. CT, Wed., Aug. 29, 2007
CANTON, Ohio - Three teenage girls ordered to take a cautionary tour of a juvenile detention center are suing the counties that oversee the facility, claiming they were subjected to a strip search.
According to the lawsuit, guards at the center had the girls remove their clothes, squat, lift their breasts and open their mouths as part of the strip searches.
The lawsuit claims the girls — ages 14, 15 and 16 — agreed to take a 15-minute walkthrough of the facility in Canton on May 18 and perform 20 hours of community service to avoid going to court on trespassing charges filed after a fight. Their lawyers claim the teens were only bystanders at the fight.
After the searches, the girls were given dirty inmates’ uniforms to wear, according to the lawsuit.
Although it is a detention center, the facility is named the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center. The suit, filed Tuesday in Common Pleas Court, names the six counties that oversee the facility as defendants and seeks at least $25,000 in damages.
An investigator is looking into the allegations, but no conclusions have been made, Stark County Sheriff Timothy Swanson said. Court Administrator Richard DeHeer and facility superintendent Donald Thernes wouldn’t comment on the lawsuit.
If the parents had known their children would be strip searched, they never would have consented to the walkthrough, attorneys Brian Zimmerman and Allen Schulman Jr. said.
====
Right after the story Richard DeHeer was quoted as saying that the guards followed protocols.
In this story they say he won't comment, except that he already had.
And I later called him and talked to him, I asked if it was still "protocol" to strip search kids on "tours".
He then told me that there was no such protocol, NOR HAD THERE EVER BEEN.
He wouldn't comment further because the lawsuit was still pending at that time.
So the fact that the sheriff investigated and no charges were ever filed against anyone, even after DeHeer told me that there had NEVER been any protocol like that is surprising.
Especially after they paid out $300,000 to settle the suit.
Of course we all know WHY no charges were filed. Because if they did then the guards would have spilled the beans on the higherups and the chit would have rolled UPHILL!
Cece QUOTE “Because I really can’t handle watching the videos anymore, could you please elucidate on what Hope said to the nurse in sarcasm?”
Ok first it was reported that she asked “Now or ever” to the question, if she ever thought of harming herself. This is also what she testified to in court, and it was NEVER disputed then by the police, prosecutors, or anyone else.
This is also what was reported in the news for months and it was never disputed by anyone, until this all blew up nationally and they had the grand jury investigation. Then sheriff had the nurse interview edited and enhanced out of context.
Back when the “now or ever” answer was quoted, everyone wondered why she answered like that. But since the nurse interview, it all becomes clearer now.
This is what the CantonRep reported:
===
The nurse asked Steffey if she ever had thought about harming herself.
"Sure, I have," Steffey responded, according to an audio recording enhanced for clarity by the state but still difficult to hear.
"When was the last time you thought about harming yourself in any way?"
"Well, right now's a good time."
===
So when they asked again, it appears she was sarcastically refers to her earlier sarcastic answers, and this is the reason for the unusual answer.
It also gives a clearer view of why she was “punished/abused” by the authorities like she was.
I put up one link to a national video from MSNBC just above your post, I don’t have the other one handy. In that one the video is analyzed by a former police trainer, and a CBS legal analyst.
I haven’t seen it on Oprah.
But when the cops complained in a newspaper article that they had been embarrassed on national TV, I posted a comment, and offered to contact Dr Phil and ask him to polygraph them on national TV to clear their names. I also offered to take one myself to substantiate everything I posted. I didn’t any “takers” or responses from anyone. (I did write to the Dr Phil show twice….though I never received a response.) ;)
What can we do? I contacted all my Reps as I said before. And I also contacted the United States Attorney General. (Never got a response.) But I am up for another call.
What we need to do is choose a day about a month from now for everyone to call at the same time, to generate enough calls to make them notice.
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000
Office of the Attorney General - 202-353-1555
Clara QUOTE “Why do the police think they can get away with that kind of thing? In fact, why is it that they can? From the outside these stories make the US look like a third world country.”
How can cops get away with stuff? Well if it’s not in a public place the police are usually the ones that control all the evidence, like in the Steffey case.
And even when it’s in a public place and there is TONS of video like the BART shooting, then the cops fall back on BS. Like saying the guy was “resisting”, even though they had him face down, with two cops on him, and a third standing by.
And it’s amazing to police that people “resist” having a knee on their head, in their backs, or having their arms twisted up behind them until they are yelling in pain.
We LOOK like a third world country? LoL We are becoming one too. Thanks to NAFTA, all our good paying industrial jobs are gone, and any left are looking to go.
Many businesses have left as fast as they can, and now the economy is starting to reflect that fact.
The wall street greed just happened to trigger the start of it, but it was bound to happen sooner or later from something anyway.
There is no way to keep an economy going with as many jobs as we had leave the country.
So now I suppose crime will rise and police abuses will become even more common.
Amnesty International does rate states on their laws.
Clara QUOTE “Also, how can the law be changed to make sure that only women can be involved of the removal of women’s clothes in custody?”
Yeah, I’m with you, if the law says that men can’t be present during a strip search or cavity search, or even be where they can see women in showers, I don’t see how Swanson gets by saying this is his policy. It’s not logical, reasonable, or moral.
Anyway I have talked to Butch Hunyadi at the Bureau of Adult Detention
(614-752-1062 ) . I guess they are changing the law now so that this won’t happen again. Although he said that it will take them a year to get it changed, as this has to be done by the state Reps. I asked how soon there would even be a draft to look at, but he wasn’t sure. So whether or not this will actually change things, or get passed as law, I don’t know yet for sure. But it seems surprising that the sheriff’s dept is STILL doing this crap, even as they are trying to put a stop to it.
Clara QUOTE “If I had a ton of money I’d give enough of it to Hope so that she never settled out of court.”
I was thinking the same thing, just the other day!
I would love to see this go to a trial. I have already contacted Steffey’s lawyers and volunteered to testify to the things that I found while looking into this.
I know I’ll never be called, because there’s no way they can let this get to a trial, but I wanted to help drive the settlement numbers up as much as I could. Any voters/taxpayers stupid enough to re-elect this sheriff deserve to pay through the nose.
Hi John,
So the cops control the evidence against them.
When someone's lawyers ask the police for a self incriminating tape they have to make a decision.
Do I:
a) Hand over the tape which proves I committed a felony and will land me in jail
or do I:
b) Erase the part of the tape and take my chances on possibly being accused of not following proceedure regarding video.
No brainer.
It's a good thing that cameras have been introduced into police cars and police stations etc. to protect both police and to protect from police abuse.
Now it's time to take this a step further and take the control of police video and audio recordings out of the hands of the police so that they are processed, or a least immediately copied and stored, by a seprate and independent body. IF this is not practicable then at the very least, the consquences of unexplained missing recordings must be severe.
Then we wouldn't have some of the idiots making comments on this story saying that she should have removed her clothes when they asked her to. So they asked her on the only bit of tape missing did they? Yeah right.
Anyone in Ohio, let the governor know how you feel:
http://governor.ohio.gov/Assistance/ContacttheGovernor/tabid/150/Default.aspx
Let your state Reps know:
http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&Itemid=73
Todd Snitchler
district50@ohr.state.oh.us
W. Scott Oelslager
district51@ohr.state.oh.us
Stephen Slesnick
district52@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark D. Okey
district61@ohr.state.oh.us
CLARA
Even that first video was NOT handed over voluntarily by the sheriff. Steffey's lawyers had to ask specifically for it, TWICE.
There has been so much about this case that has been skewed around.
They always bring up about the dead sisters license, like Steffey was trying to pass herself off as her with a PHOTO ID.
They never seem to bring up the fact that at Steffey's trial even the officer testified this was NOT true.
Sometimes they say "the victim couldn't be identified" by the responding officer or that there was "confusion".
Sure once the cops got there Steffey's niece tried to say Steffey was the guilty one.
But if that was the case why wasn't SHE the one that called 911?
Another interesting fact left out is that the BROTHER of Steffey's attacker is the one that called police ON HIS OWN SISTER!
Plus the fact they have everyone else there saying that Steffey was the VICTIM.
There CLEARLY should have been NO confusion on who the guilty party was.
And on and on.
I wish I could debate this case on TV and rip these thugs and their excuses to shreds.
I have been asking for more information from Stark County and still have not received it.
And I'm not the only one complaining about this...
http://www.the-review.com/news/article/4538886