The NY Police Force Strip Searched Almost Everyone It Arrested, the Department of Justice Finds

According to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation, the Mount Vernon Police Department, located just north of New York City, has a disturbing history of violating civil rights.

Until at least 2023, the agency, which had about 160 officers, continued to conduct cavity searches, strip searches, and unlawful arrests. In one notable instance, two women, ages 65 and 75, were subjected to strip searches in 2020. Officers who suspected them of purchasing drugs searched their car, discovered nothing, and took them completely naked while telling them to “bend over and cough.”

The policemen were simply deprived of a few vacation days, despite the fact that internal investigations revealed they had lied. According to the DOJ, the department frequently conducted strip searches on everyone it detained up to 2022, including occasionally people who weren’t officially in custody.

The story also brought attention to the mother whose daughter was shot dead and her unlawful incarceration. Without probable cause, officers arrested and questioned her instead of letting her go to the hospital with her dying child.

Financial mismanagement made these problems much worse, with low officer salaries fueling inadequate training and a lack of resources. Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard of Mount Vernon accepted the results, saying, “We wholeheartedly support our good officers and… will not tolerate unconstitutional policing,” and promising to work with the DOJ.

Reform initiatives include the termination of two civilian staff members and three officers. Ending unconstitutional activities and putting safeguards in place to stop abuses in the future are the main goals of the DOJ’s proposals. The fact that complete compliance has not yet been attained makes investigators wary.