# I Pit The Stark County PD **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 28, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stark-county-pd/487816 "2009-02-28T19:48:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stark-county-pd/487816/21 "2009-03-03T21:31:45Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Background on the story: > > This incident happened in October 2006. \*\* There’s almost no doubt that Ms. Steffey was drunk/and or on drugs.\*\* The officer who responded to the 911 call may or may not have overreacted. > > _snip_ > > It’s somewhat of a he said/she said kinda thing. After she sued the Sheriff’s Office the following year, the Sheriff’s Office asked the Ohio Attorney General to investigate the charges. The Grand Jury refused to indict the Sheriff’s Office. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some malfeasance on the part of the Sheriff’s office. > > But, this lady had a serious problem before she ever got arrested. That’s kinda what I thought while watching the video. I’ve worked around a lot of cops for years, and written about other incidents like this. There is almost ALWAYS a lot of details that never show up on video. Holding someone down is pretty hard; cops would almost always not bother to do it, and generally only do it when they must. And her constant screaming makes her sound mentally unbalanced, not like an innocent victim.. People in a normal frame of mind do not act like that, but that behavior is entirely consistent with what I’ve seen of drunk/high/mentally unbalanced individuals who are being restrained (something I’ve had to do myself on more than one occasion). Not only that, but look at the faces of the officers. They are not gleefully “ripping off her clothes,” they are calm, methodical, almost bored. They are clearly following a procedure they are familiar with, not ganging up on this woman for fun. People with no experience with the law/mental health system are usually shocked by their treatment when something brings them into contact with it. But people are restrained and stripped all the time. They just usually aren’t good-looking women whose husbands can afford to sue. But there’s a reason those procedures are followed, and while I think cops get away with too much in general, I suspect they were just doing their jobs here. As for the lawsuits, both parties–the husband and the cops–should quit being babies and get over it. To the husband: If the police have to come to your house for ANY reason, don’t act like you’re totally undeserving of any negative consequences. To the cops: Public scrutiny comes with the job. Deal with it, and quit blaming the media like little bitches. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stark-county-pd/487816/22 "2009-03-03T21:34:40Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > There is no justice in this case unless every officer involved in the strip search (especially the males) is fired. Of course that won’t happen. There’s a fraternity among officers, that works for the good and the bad. Engage in sexist hyperbole much? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stark-county-pd/487816/23 "2009-03-03T21:38:16Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > Who’s more likely to be a risk to themselves, the out of control person who feels like they’ve been violated or the person who is dealt with calmly and rationally? Did she LOOK calm and rational to you? I suspect if she were “calm and rational” to begin with, this entire incident would’ve never happened. > [@](#): > > In fact, forget “about to be sexually assaulted” she **was** sexually assaulted. Except it was cops and she was under arrest (and maybe high) so that \*\*just makes it okay to hold her down and strip her completely naked while she screams and thrashes. \*\*:rolleyes: As opposed to doing what? Letting her hang herself with her clothes? Bite someone? These things really do happen, ya know. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stark-county-pd/487816/24 "2009-03-03T21:42:01Z")
> [@Lizard](#): > > Engage in sexist hyperbole much? :rolleyes: The departments own policy dictates that only officers of the same sex will conduct a strip search. Sexist or not, that’s the policy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stark-county-pd/487816.md?page=1)