By John Henrehan
MyFoxDC
WASHINGTON — Two adult women are suing Prince George’s County because of how they were treated while visiting a relative in the local jail. The women say their underwire bras kept setting off the metal detector and a guard told them, “Until you’re clear, you cannot come through here.”
Mary Proctor was trying to visit her son. Zanaisha Walker, Mary’s daughter, was trying to visit her brother. The mother and daughter went to a visitors’ rest room, removed their bras, placed them in the tray in the security area, passed through the metal detector, and walked through the jail carrying their bras.
“It was embarrassing,” said Zanaisha Walker, gesturing with her arms folded across her chest. “You know, you have to walk around covered up ... with your bra in your hand ... it was just ridiculous.”
The two women consulted an attorney and a lawsuit against the county government has now been filed. It asks for a million dollars in damages.
“My clients asked for a female officer to be able to inspect their bra in the restroom,” declared attorney Jimmy Bell. “And they weren’t even given one. They asked for someone to ‘wand’ them. They weren’t given one. The reality is: [it’s] a policy that is demeaning [and] humiliating to women ... and it needs to stop now.”
The issue had come up earlier in the year when female defense attorneys complained about pressure to remove their underwire bras. The head of the corrections department told the public defender’s office (according to the Washington Post): new, more sensitive screening machines had been installed; guards would get more training on them; and there was no policy requiring the removal of underwire bras.
The department of corrections declined to comment on the new lawsuit until county attorneys have a chance to review the allegations.
Republished with permission from MyFoxDC