Police officers in Mount Vernon, a city outside New York City, conducted fully nude strip and cavity searches on every person they arrested, and some people they didn't arrest, according to a report by the US Department of Justice.
The Mount Vernon Police Department is one of 12 that was investigated over the issue, prompted by the murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, per the Associated Press.
The investigation found that police officers strip searched every arrestee—and people they did not arrest as well—and conducted cavity searches until at least 2023, but the DOJ added they are not sure it has stopped
The report also found Mount Vernon cops detained and interrogated people without arresting them and arrested people for criticizing officers, AP reported.
In one instance, cops illegally strip searched two women, aged 65 and 75, after fabricating a story about the women buying drugs. They arrested them, took them to the police station in handcuffs, and after a fully nude strip search was approved, detectives also conducted a cavity search.
The officers involved were later docked vacation days.
"We wholeheartedly support our good officers and at the same time will not tolerate and will punish unconstitutional policing," Democratic Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard wrote in a statement obtained by the outlet.
Three police officers and two civilians were fired following an internal investigation in 2021, according to the statement, but no additional information was given.
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