Story Archive

Another Skirmish in the Drug Wars

An officer with the Lakeland, Fla., Police Department defended his tactics in searching a woman as “a known technique that is used by some LPD officers.” At a traffic stop for a broken headlight, Officer Dustin Fetz asked the female driver to lift her shirt, pull her bra out, and shake it to prove there were no drugs hidden there. When nothing dropped out, he ordered her to repeat the procedure. When that didn’t result in any drugs either, Fetz searched her, her boyfriend, and their car, even though the couple repeatedly said that they didn’t consent to the illegal searches. Fetz had no probable cause to believe the woman was carrying drugs, says State Attorney Jerry Hill. He wrote a letter to the department’s chief urging officers to stop using the procedure that he said is “not only demeaning, but is ineffective and possibly dangerous.” Hill documented several instances of the bra-shaking procedure, which he said constituted “a major training deficiency” that could jeopardize court cases. Police Chief Lisa Womack promised to investigate, but she’s already busy investigating at least 10 officers, including high-ranking police officials, for allegedly having sex on duty. Fetz was put on paid leave for four days over the bra incident. State prosecutors said he violated the woman’s Constitutional rights, but that wasn’t a crime. (RC/Lakeland Ledger) ...Which, of course, is the real issue.