Overview
- A government claim filed on behalf of 19 women alleges an unlawful, degrading strip-search on May 22 in the B-Pod, with deputies recording on body cameras, male staff present, taunts about posting videos online, and searches visible to others.
- The filing cites department policy barring body-worn cameras during strip searches and requiring privacy with no male deputies present, and it references California Penal Code 4030’s individualized suspicion standard.
- Sheriff’s officials say unspecified personnel action was taken but deny a mass strip-search, asserting the women were individually searched by female deputies in single-person stalls.
- The City Attorney’s Office says it is reviewing the claim, which is a precursor to litigation; the women’s attorney says they will sue if the city rejects the claim or fails to respond within 45 days.
- Advocates and several supervisors rallied outside the jail seeking an independent investigation, suspensions of involved deputies, and full funding for sheriff oversight, while the Department of Police Accountability noted limits on its authority to investigate.