By Brandi Kruse
My North West
PUYALLUP, Ill. — A high-profile Seattle defense attorney has filed suit against the City of Puyallup on behalf of a dozen clients who he claims were forced to undress and use the bathroom while under arrest for driving under the influence.
James Egan represents 11 women and one man who claim officers at the Puyallup Jail committed voyeurism and violated their rights to privacy.
According to Egan, jail officers targeted mostly young, attractive women and forced them to strip naked and use facilities in areas of the jail that guards knew were under video surveillance. Egan said he found males were able to use a private area that isn’t monitored by cameras.
One of the alleged victims said the jail staff told her to undress in what she believed to be a private cell. After she had changed into a jail uniform, she said the jailer forced her to take off her clothes again.
“An officer came in and says something to her and she takes her jail pants off and then her panties,” Egan said. “I thought, ‘this has got to stop.’”
Egan said he noticed two years ago that his DUI clients were forced to undress at the Puyallup Jail, even though some were about to be released. He said he began filing public disclosure requests for jail video and determined there was “significant pattern” and of jail officers orchestrating “peep shows.”
Full story: Attorney claims Puyallup jail officers forced DUI suspects to strip like ‘Barbie dolls’