Police Officers Forced Elderly Women Into Strip Searches Under False Arrest, DOJ Says
The Department of Justice recently released the findings of an investigation into the Mount Vernon Police Department, revealing a troubling pattern of unconstitutional practices, including excessive force, unlawful strip searches, and arrests without probable cause.
As you will see, the root cause of the MVPD’s problem is a distinct lack of accountability and transparency.
This is one of several reports the DOJ has published this year related to various local law enforcement agencies. As with the other cases, this development shows what can happen when there is little oversight and accountability for police officers who abuse their positions.
MVPD officers regularly engage in unnecessary escalation during minor encounters, which lead to excessive Taser use and other forms of physical violence – even on individuals who have been restrained, according to the DOJ.
“Five MVPD officers used force on a man they suspected of selling narcotics despite not announcing their presence beforehand or attempting to peacefully arrest him. One officer approached the man from behind and attempted an ‘upper body hold.’ This prompted an altercation in which one officer threw the man to the ground, breaking his nose; another officer drive-stunned him with his Taser five times...”
In another instance, seven officers who responded to a welfare check for a person who appeared to be having a mental health episode handcuffed him immediately and tased him seven times while he was in handcuffs.
The report noted that “Even if the use of some force is justified, the particular level of force used may still be excessive if it is disproportionate to the resistance or threat encountered.”
Investigators found that officers “routinely conducted strip searches on all arrestees, violating the Fourth Amendment.”
The report explained that manual cavity searches “were deeply ingrained” in the agency’s practices. They were “so intrusive that they are wholly prohibited absent a warrant explicitly permitting such a search or exigent circumstances.”
The MVPD made strip searches a regular practice, even when they were not necessary, the DOJ said.
“Until at least October 2022, it was MVPD’s practice to subject persons they arrested to a strip search and, in many cases, a visual cavity search. They did so as a matter of course, regardless of any reasonable suspicion.”
Even further, the department “rarely documented strip and cavity searches when they occurred, making oversight nearly impossible,” the investigators noted.
In 2020, MVPD officers handcuffed and arrested two elderly women while conducting a traffic stop “based on a fabricated claim of a drug transaction.”
After finding no drugs in the vehicle, they took the women to the police station.
“In June 2020, Mount Vernon Police Department (MVPD) officers conducted a traffic stop of two women, one 65 years old and the other 75 years old, claiming that they saw the women engage in a hand-to-hand drug transaction. The driver of the car explained that she had given her husband a five-dollar bill to purchase a lottery ticket. An Internal Affairs (IA) investigation later determined that the MVPD officer had lied and there was no basis for the traffic stop. At the police station, with supervisory approval, two female detectives made the women completely disrobe—including their bras and underwear—and told them to bend over and cough. No contraband was recovered, and the two women were driven back to their car and released.”
In yet another incident, officers assaulted a man who was suspected of selling narcotics. The ensuing struggle ended with the man being severely injured.
“Five MVPD officers used force on a man they suspected of selling narcotics despite not announcing their presence beforehand or attempting to peacefully arrest him. One officer approached the man from behind and attempted an ‘upper body hold’ simultaneous with announcing his presence. This prompted an altercation in which one officer threw the man to the ground, breaking his nose; another officer drive-stunned him with his Taser five times; a third officer punched the man repeatedly in the head; and a fourth officer used his baton to pry apart the man’s arms. The man suffered a fractured nose and bruises to his face and back.”
The DOJ recommended comprehensive reforms to deal with the systemic issues within the department. “MVPD’s policies must be updated to ensure they provide clear and constitutional standards for all police practices,” the report read.
The department must implement training programs that focus on constitutional procedures and de-escalation. The report called for robust oversight mechanisms to promote accountability. This includes independent reviews and a strengthened Internal Affairs department. “Supervisors who are involved in use of force incidents cannot oversee their own investigations,” the report noted.
The report suggested that the department implement mandatory body cameras and transparent public reporting on officer discipline as well.
Apparently, this department had no real way to ensure their officers were being held accountable, as is the case with many police agencies across the country. When those who wear the badge know they will not face consequences, they have no reason to respect our rights.
I’m not attacking all police officers, of course. But it remains clear that America has a serious problem with corrupt policing, an issue that seems to only come to light when the media can use an unjust shooting of a Black man to promote racial narratives.
The truth is that the incidents highlighted in the DOJ report happen to all kinds of Americans, regardless of ethnicity. Until the public sees more of these stories, it will be difficult to garner enough support to finally do something about it. Hopefully, more of us will work to raise awareness about this problem so we can elect officials who actually want to address the issue instead of simply using it for political expediency.