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Speak Up! - View Question #269 |
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Question: Can a male officer pat down a female suspect?
Answer: Depends. Most police departments have policies regarding male officers searching female suspects and female officers searching male suspects. If it is just a pat down on the outside of the clothes, then the officer probably can do it regardless of the sex of the officer or the suspect.
Many officers will use the back of their hand to do the pat down on an opposite sex suspect, and that may be their departments policy. In smaller departments, there may not be a same sex officer available to do a pat down of a suspect.
If the search is more extensive than just a pat down of the outer clothing, then most police departments require same sex officers to do the search, or they will get assistance from jail personnel if that is available.
There is no law requiring same sex officers to do pat down type searches.
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| Comments |
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On 08/19/03
Kathy from MN said:
If I were you I would not stand for this officer searching you! Especially under the conditions you have mentioned! It seems to me that he is more than harrassing you! It is sexual, and he needs to be stopped!
Sorry, that is just my opinion
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On 07/20/03
Bob from HI said:
I honestly can not comment on all the officers in your area. In my department, we have 3 sworn female officers, 1 is a detective, 2 patrol. On my shift, I do not have any female officers 'to radio' to come to conduct the search. Some departments have tried the same sex search, only to find that their few female officers are basically 'search patrons' and as such are being deprived of any law enforcement duties... now that sounds like a sexual discrimination suit right there...
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On 07/20/03
Bob from HI said:
That does seem a little to invasive. Per my department police, for my safey I may place you into custody while the search is being conducted. However, I need to be sure that I have PC to conduct such a search. In my opinion I believe that you should contact the Internal Affairs office of the agency that the officer is from. Hopefully you have his name and can recall the dates that these events occured. I also ask of you one thing. Please don't think we are all bad.
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On 03/02/03
MIke from Othe said:
everyone seems to think that its all males patting down females...what if it were reversed?? it could just as easily happen then.patting someone down on the outside of the clothes should be able to be done by anyone
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On 02/27/03
Sarah from IL said:
Personnaly i think that there should be a lawa against a male officer patting down a female.... it's been done to me 3 times now by the same officer and all he is doing is harassing me... i didn't do n e ting wrong.... he pulled me over and searched me because my license plate light was out then he pulled me over and searched me cuz i was suposedly out at a cemetary which was "private" property then he puled me over again just because i was riding around town at 8:00 at night by myslef cuz i was bored and he searched me then too.... it's different when you have the opposite sex touch you ...
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