NYC corrections officers performed illegal strip searches on visitors: report

Five corrections officers and a supervisor at a New York jail were charged this week with performing illegal strip searches on visitors to the facility.

The New York Times reported that a multi-count indictment unveiled Monday accuses the former officers with forcing visitors to strip down for searches by officers under false pretenses and lying to superiors in order to cover up their actions.

{mosads}The five officers, all women, have reportedly been suspended pending the outcome of the trial. A spokesman for the city’s Department of Corrections told the Times that the five face termination if convicted.

“People visiting loved ones in our city’s jails should feel safe, period,” Peter Thorne told the newspaper. “If these allegations are proven true, the officers involved face termination.”

A spokesman for the department’s union countered that a high rate of contraband including drugs found by officers at the Manhattan facility warranted the behavior.

“Every day they do everything they can to keep this jail safe for visitors, inmates and correction staff,” Elias Husamudeen said. “They deserve more public support for the diligent professionalism they exude every day.”

The indictment obtained by the Times states that the officers “blocked exits, surrounded visitors on all sides, forcibly removed visitors’ clothing, including underwear, touched visitors’ breasts, examined visitors’ vaginal and buttocks areas, forced visitors to squat without pants or underwear, and forced visitors onto the floor.”

A lawyer representing inmates at the city’s Rikers Island facility who also alleged that they underwent illegal strip searches called the indictment an important step for the city.

“Hopefully these indictments lead to a safer, more respectful visiting process where visitors do not have to endure a traumatic experience simply to see their loved one,” Scott Simpson told the Times.