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Six female correction officers at Manhattan Detention Center are making headlines for wilding out on the job. These women were conducting illegally strip searches on other women who were visiting the complex. Now they are facing a slew of criminal charges related to their misconduct.
Prosecutors announced on Monday that the office identified the suspects as former Correction Department Capt. Leslie-Ann Absalom, 53, and officers Daphne Farmer, 49, Jennifer George, 32, Lisette Rodriguez, 51, Alifa Waiters, 45, and Latoya Shuford, 36. Each have been hit with charges of misconduct, conspiracy and various counts of filing false documents, ABC 7 New York reports.
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“There is no excuse for violating the human rights of New Yorkers visiting our City’s jails,” District Attorney Cy Vance said. “As alleged, these officers flagrantly abused their power when they ignored their training and subjected visitors to humiliating and unlawful searches. Further, they attempted to cover up their actions by forcing visitors to sign consent forms under false pretenses, and repeatedly lying in official documents.”
According to court documents, female visitors who refused to consent to a search were forced to remove their clothes by the defendant, who physically violated women by touching their private areas. The officers, with the help of the supervisors, then covered up the crime by filing false paperwork.
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“At the end of the day, we’re guilty of doing our jobs, we’re guilty of trying to keep the jails safe, we’re guilty of trying to keep visitors safe, we’re guilty of trying to keep corrections officers safe,” said Elias Husamadeen, president of the Correction Officer Association.
Three visitors were arrested based on that misleading paperwork. The charges were a direct result of the illegal searches, investigators have confirmed. They also alleged that at least one guard molested a woman during a strip search and the heinous act was covered up by the captain, according to The Daily News.
“To base this on allegations and what somebody said as opposed to the fact, I think when this case is said and done, that my corrections officers are going to be vindicated,” Husamadeen added.
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Meanwhile, Vance said in a statement that “There is no excuse for violating the human rights of New Yorkers visiting our city’s jails.”
He also noted that the accused officers “flagrantly abused their power when they ignored their training and subjected visitors to humiliating and unlawful searches.”
The statement calls out the defendants who “attempted to cover up their actions by forcing visitors to sign consent forms under false pretenses, and repeatedly lying in official documents,” he added.
According to the Department of Justice, visitors are not required to submit to strip searches and body cavity searches. Pat frisks are permissible, but only with signed consent forms and the action must be conducted in the presence of a supervisor.
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