City reacts to strip - search

Tlfc Sou th B end Police p ro b a tio n ­ ary officer w ho strip -search ed e ight Saint M ary's s tu d e n ts last w eek en d has ro u tin e ly s tr ip sea rch ed su sp ec ts b ro u g h t to th e c ity jail since m id -D ecem ber, The Observer lea rn ed yesterday . Police C h ief D aniel T hom p so n said th e fem ale o fficer had nev er b een in s tru c te d that th e s trip search o f p e rso n s a rre s te d for m is­ d e m e a n o r offenses is c o n tra ry to d ep artm en ta l policy. T h o m p so n ex p la in ed that th e o f­ ficer had b een a guard at th e Indiana S tate R eform atory w h e re am o n g her d u tie s w as th e strip -search in g o f p riso n ers and visitors. After sh e w as h ired by th e South Bend Police D ep artm en t in D ecem ber, T ho m p so n said, she w as n ev er in ­ fo rm ed o f th e d e p a rtm e n t’s po licy reg ard in g the sea rch in g o f prisoners. C ity A tto rney R ichard Hill e x ­ plained that all su sp ec ts are sub jec t to a "w eap o n s pa t-dow n" d u rin g th e ir p ro cess in g at th e jail. In ­ d iv iduals accu sed o f co m m ittin g felonies, how ever, a rc stripsearched . "Although th e w ritten p o licy o f th e c ity p ro v id es that a s trip sea rch can be c o n d u c ted , typically , th e ac ­ tual p rac tice In a m isd em ean o r case is that on ly a w eap o n s pat is c o n ­ d u c te d ,” Hill said. "T hat's th e way th ey d id it (s e a rc h ) at th e sta te p rison , th a t’s the way sh e ’s b een d o in g it; sh e d id it th e sam e w ay Friday n ight, ” T ho m p so n said. “ Probably every sea rch c o n d u c te d by th is re c ru it was c o n d u c te d in th e sam e w ay ” He e s tim a ted th a t th e o fficer has se a rc h e d 12 to 15 p riso n e rs since sh e w as hired . The s tu d e n ts w e re a rre s ted inside C orby 's T avern , 1026 C orby S treet, last Friday ev en in g for possession o f an a lco h o lic beverage by a m inor, a m isd em ean o r charge. T hey w ere tran sp o rte d to th e South B end C ity Jail w h e re th ey w ere b o o k ed and sea rched . T hey w e re th en taken to th e w o m e n ’s facility o f th e St. Jo sep h C oun ty Jail w h e re th ey w e re again boo k ed and ev en tually re leased on bail. "The m ale o fficer (a t th e c ity jail) d ire c te d h e r ( th e p ro b a tio n ary of­ f ice r) to sea rch th e s tu d en ts , ” Hill said. "By sea rch he m ean t a w eap o n s pat-dow n. She to o k th a t to m ean a str ip search . She really d id n 't u n d e r­ stand w hat w as e x p e c te d o f her." Hill s ta te d that th e in c id en t w ou ld be investigated . “ W e’re really taking s tep s to m ake su re it it d o e sn 't hap ­ pen again, ” Hill said. "W e in ten d to have it fully in v estiga ted and will p re se n t a re p o rt to th e B oard o f Public Safety. It m ay very w ell in­ c lu d e re co m m e n d a tio n s from C hief T hom p so n to assu re th a t th is k ind o f p ro b lem will n o t o c c u r again. ” Hill said th e re lease o f th e re p o rt to th e p u b lic w o u ld d e p e n d on p o s­ sib le litigation re g ard in g th e in c i­ dent. A tto rneys fo r sev era l o f th e s tu d e n ts d e c lin ed to sp e c u la te upo n th e possib ility o f a su it against th e c ity reg ard in g th e in c id e n t "T h ere is a m isd em ean o r c h arg e p en d in g against them ," Jo h n J. M uldoon, fa th e r o f o n e o f th e s tu d en ts , said. "I’m n o t go ing to say an y th ing that m igh t jeo p ard ize th e ir case. ” A no th er a tto rn ey , M ichael C o tte r, refused to co m m en t. City P ro sec u to r M ichael B arnes said th a t he c o u ld n o t fo rsec any c ir­ c u m stan ces in w h ich th e ch arg es m igh t be dism issed.