Ohio’s Finest Make Me Sick, Thanks To Gideon

Gideon at  A Public Defender has posted  two videos of a TV news story about a Stark County, Ohio woman that must be seen.  The woman, Hope Steffi, was the victim of an assault when police came to her home, but ended up the perp when police became annoyed and intolerant of her.  She was then brought to jail, where she was forcibly stripped naked by both male and female guards, then left naked and injured for 6 hours in a cell.  Naturally, the Stark County Sheriff says that his people did nothing wrong.

I would post the videos here, but Gid found them and it would be wrong to steal his blawgospheric scoop.  So go watch the videos and then come back.  I’ll wait.

Okay, you’re back.  That this was how Hope Steffi, whether as victim or simply as human being, was treated in the hands of our public servants is an outrage.  That the Sheriff’s knee-jerk reaction is to blindly defend the conduct is despicable.  But that the station was castigated by some for “convicting those deputies on the air.”  Convicting?  By showing a videotape made by the deputies themselves, the station has been unfair to them.

On the most visceral level, it’s shocking whenever we see the inside of “law enforcement” at work, doing the things to people that we would never believe possible.  As Hope Steffi’s husband pointed out, what if this were your wife, hysterical, injured and in pain, was being stripped naked by men in a jail.  At the very worst, she was a vicious arrest-resister, a threat to all that truly matters to cops.  She didn’t do exactly what she was told to do quickly enough.  Now there’s a good reason for cops to behave this way.

Beyond what the deputies/guards/cops, whatever they’re called in Stark County, there are the people who will contort this scenario to think that there is any possible reason to justify the handling of Hope Steffi.  We will never be able to end this sick, abusive power trip if people don’t stop trying to rationalize police misconduct.  As long as there are supporters for violent abuse by law enforcement officers, the culture of abuse will continue.

We all want to respect police.  We want to believe that they are there to protect and serve.  We need to believe it, for the alternative is unthinkable.  But when it stares us in the face on video, the deniers are just as sick as the cops who engage in the abuse and their superiors who approve of it.  This will never stop until everyone who enables it opens their eyes and demands that it end.

44 thoughts on “Ohio’s Finest Make Me Sick, Thanks To Gideon

  1. Windypundit

    On the most visceral level, it’s shocking whenever we see the inside of “law enforcement” at work, doing the things to people that we would never believe possible.

    When the Abu Ghraib torture scandal erupted—with all those pictures of naked humiliation—some observers said it wasn’t all that surprising what happened, because the military had staffed it with people who had experience handling prisoners back home.

    You can kind of see it in these videos, can’t you?

  2. SHG

    Thanks for the head’s up Shawn.  I often confuse Gid with David Lat because they look so much alike.  But it’s kinda fixed now, though the link directly to the videos will have to come a little later as Gid’s blawg is running a little weird at the moment.

  3. SHG

    I can, but there’s something different here.  Hope Steffi isn’t a “mutt”, who (in the minds of law enforcement) is fair game for some fun humiliation and abuse.  This is a “citizen”, a real person who could be their wife, their sister, and STILL they show no remorse, no regret, no concern about treating her this way.  Both are horrible, abusive and inexcusable, but this goes beyond.  This is just sick.

  4. Windypundit

    I was going to ask Gideon, but I can’t reach his website: How common is this sort of thing, really? Did the cops just make the tactical mistake of doing it to a middle-class white woman?

  5. SHG

    The only way to provide a real answer to the question would be to have information that isn’t available.  Rarely does one find out about things like this happening, and even more rarely is there video to prove it happened.  When claims arise, they are always denied, and without proof they are usually dismissed as fabrications by malcontents.

    The better question, to me, is how often does this have to happen?  Isn’t once more than enough?

  6. Windypundit

    I thought you might have a real answer, since you probably know a lot more people who’ve been in jail than I do. For all I know, this is how everyone gets treated in lockup. I’m sure there’s a lot of horrifying stuff that doesn’t surprise the frequent fliers.

  7. Gideon

    Hey folks. Don’t know what’s up with the site. They tell me “maintenance is ongoing”, whatever the eff that means. Why this couldn’t be done in the dead of the night, I don’t know.

  8. SHG

    Well, your blog sure picked a great time to go down.  I coulda snagged those videos, but no, that would be wrong, I said to myself. 

  9. susan

    The times are a changing….cameras everywhere. Bad cops beware! If I was the woman being stripped against my will by male cops like Steffi I think they’d have been more sorry than they apparently are not right now. How undignified, oppressive, backwards, inhuman, unneeded and fortunately public!!! Bad cops might have to rethink their actions for the first time in history! Might be easier for them to quit and get a different job where it’s not quite so easy to capitalize, brutalitize and prey on regular humans. Or here’s a thought….why don’t you actually try to “protect and to serve” for a change? Who knows….maybe you’d have a better, deeper sleep at night if you actually did what you are supposed to do???? Do unto others. Period.

  10. SHG

    Thanks for the heads up Steve.  It doesn’t say why there are no longer available, but I’m going to see if I can find out who and why these were taken down. 

    Ed: Just checked and the videos still exist on Youtube here and here.  It may be just the particular links that Gideon used in his piece, but there are numerous versions of this still on Youtube. 

  11. Steve O'Neal

    Thanx SHG,

    Now that I’ve seen the vids, I almost wish that I hadn’t. At least I feel (apart from nauseous) vindicated about moving to Brussels. Hmmm…should I claim political asylum?

    Steve

  12. SHG

    Suck down a six-pack of Stella Artois and consider what you would have done if this was your wife or daughter.

  13. John

    UPDATE 4-14-2008
    As stated in the second video of the news Sheriff Swanson STILL has NOT turned over ALL the video they have to Steffy’s lawyers. If its worse than what they already did turn over, I can understand why.

    Also for any people that think Steffy may just be a person that gets into trouble all the time, I have personally seen her arrest record, besides this mess, she has NOTHING…not even a speeding ticket.

    More links show a pattern of abuse at Stark County:

    CBS news analyzes Police abuse tapes:
    http://search.cbsnews.com/?source=cbs&q=Hope+Steffy&x=0&y=0

    Teen Girls Strip Searched:
    http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=373098&Category=15&subCategoryID=0

    Four more women come forward in Hope Steffy case:
    http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=84243&provider=gnews

    The problem is this isn’t an isolated incident. Its a problem all over the country. Millions of dollars of taxpayers money are payed out year after year over incidents like this, in city after city.
    BUT even after they are sued, the abuse continues.
    Apparently the Bill of Rights & 4th Amendment aren’t enough to stop police strip searches.

    After the tape of Hope Steffy, I have contacted all my Reps in Washington to get a FEDERAL law passed to put an end to this.

    If this was your wife or daughter you wouldn’t want it to continue, so don’t WAIT until it IS your wife or daughter, get a hold of your Congressmen & Senators….end this.

  14. John

    Another Update:

    Looks like a 5th woman is coming forward with her story. She said she fears reprisals for speaking out.
    I can see why, it seems that everyone in that county is part of the problem, at least all the ones I have talked to.

    http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_articl…?storyid=88666

    And now surprise, the State Attorney General, who is supposed to be investigating this incident, is himself being investigated.

    How would he be able to investigate the Steffy case, when he himself seems to be part of the problem????

    They called for his resignation, but he refused, so now they are going the impeachment route.

    CUT&PASTE:
    Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has refused to step down as Ohio’s Attorney General, despite pleas that he do so or face impeachment.

    Early Monday evening, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said top state Democratic officials will immediately begin drafting an impeachment resolution against Dann.

    http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_articl…?storyid=88776

  15. SHG

    Thanks for the update.  The Dann situation (which I’ve neglected thus far) appears to have hit critical mass.

  16. John

    I have also called the sheriff’s office to ask if they have or plan to turn over ALL the Hope Steffy video/audio.

    The sheriff’s secretary’s response was that it will “probably” be turned over to Steffy’s lawyers in discovery.

    I replied “PROBABLY”?!?!?!?!?!

    What the!??! This stinks more & more!!

    I also talked to the head of the Correctional HealthCare Group. This is who sheriff Swanson is now saying is responsible for decisions on forcibly stripping misdemeanor cases and traffic violations.
    I don’t want to get into all we talked about, but at the end I asked if they were going to be named in any of the lawsuits.
    He said he didn’t know.

    If the sheriff was trying to feed me to the media, I think I would find out!!!

  17. John

    I also wanted to point out that in the case of the three teen girls stripped searched as part of a ‘tour’ of a facility.

    Court Administrator Richard DeHeer (330-451-7415) says that its part of their ‘protocol’ and that the staff did nothing wrong.

    Maybe Richard should read the Bill of Rights, right around the 4th amendment.

    The girls & their parents had ALREADY gone through metal detectors & a pat down.

    There was NO warrant to search these girls.

    There was NO probable cause to search these girls.

    The ONLY reason to strip search these girls was to embarrass, degrade, and punish them.

    This is AGAINST THE LAW!

    This is what these perverts in Stark County don’t get. Their whole stinking system is ILLEGAL!

    And they are criminals and should be put in prison themselves.

    In the Hope Steffy case, just the stuff we know FOR SURE is enough to get these sadists jail time.

    You don’t leave a victim without medical care.

    You don’t have males on females, let alone EIGHT people to strip a handcuffed woman.

    You don’t leave them naked, without at least a paper covering.

    You don’t take them to be booked naked.

    This has nothing to do with them thinking she was suicidal, it was almost CERTAINLY done to humiliate, embarrass, degrade and punish Hope Steffy.

    And then there is all the disputed stuff that we have.

    That she was attacked by the deputy without just cause, and then charged to cover up his abuse.

    That he pulled on her arm to get her ‘to react’ and then made it seem as if she was resisting.

    Deputy and jailers claim that she was in mood swings, but NO VIDEO shows this.

    That the deputy left her in the car, while he talked to someone at the jail. (This alone raises a red flag for me!!)

    That she was told she could go home after questions.

    That she was NEVER asked to remove her cloths.

    That the officers attacked her without warning, and that her tooth & back were injured in the multiple attacks by police.

    And then we have all the ‘missing’ video for icing on the cake.

    As I dig more & more into this case, in fact the whole county, it just gets to stinking more & more.

  18. SHG

    John,

    I don’t understand one thing.  How did the 3 girls get strip searched on the tour if their parents were there?  Their parents allowed this?  What happened?

  19. John

    No their parents were left at the entrance to the building after going through the metal detectors.

    ALL the parents said that they would have NEVER agreed to a “tour” if they knew it included a strip search.

    The girls are suing for $25,000, they better hope they don’t get someone like me on the jury to make an example of them out of this.

    This was complete BS!

  20. John

    The saddest part of this whole mess is that all the people who are SUPPOSED to be running things, like the County prosecutor and the Sheriff, who is supposed to be supervising his people, can actually look at this abuse and say that his people did nothing wrong.

    Even as every other person who saw this is saying that it WAS an attack against Steffy.

    People who include a retired police trainer, a CBS law analyst, and even another Sheriff in a neighboring county!

    If Swanson, or any other official, is condoning this type of treatment for misdemeanors & traffic violations, then they are part of the problem, and they ALL need to be gone.

  21. matt

    Does anyone know the exact name of the lawsuit for the three teen girls? I would also like to know dates for both the Hope Steffey Federal trial in December and for the Ohio teen girls if anyone knows. Thank you.

  22. Jenn

    This is similar to when the police beat up the girl at Reagan National Airport in DC. Torture is totally legal in America. The only thing is, you must be beaten out by a cop, have them file false criminal charges against you, and let the justice system cover up for their misconduct and assault. It’s a bigger problem than in Ohio. It’s a pandemic that is nationwide. There needs to be a federal overhaul of police brutality immediately.

  23. Brian

    I couldnt find the video and have no idea on what this lady may have done.

    As for the comments on ohio’s finest make me sick, I could say the same thing about you. As for comments about serving and protecting americas defenders (police) military, security and other such persons and lawful citizens that serve this country 24/7 we can thank them for this great country and thank god. The reason you even has this blog is because of the freedom of speech, we had to earn that, and still have to fight everyday to make sure we keep all of the rights for everyone. We dont all go to bed wake up and we still have rights, we the lawful and our defenders have to fight for them every day 24/7. So you saying they are not doing the duty they are suppose to, I say dont you still have this blog, this country, your state? Than You have answered your own question they are serving, I must ask what are you doing to serve the country for defense? Yeah, thats what I thought.

    Any person that is caught to have violated a law of violence should be arrested and charged. Did you know most assualts on americas police officers arent prosecuted they way they are suppose to be, so would this be brutality on police by violent criminals and terrorists. Or how about this nations citizens not supporting the police and making sure the law protects them? If your not apart of the solution your apart of the problem. Too many people take this country for granted and put it down and its defenders down, if you would like go to Europe they have places in Europe where a lawful person is not allowed to own a firearm for defense or sport shooting, however the criminals can use any weapon a knife or anything. Did you know in a place over in europe your are ten times more likely to be mugged than on the streets of NYC. Did you know the FBI just released stats saying that most violent crime a gun as the weapon is not used in 91 % of all violent crime. So go over to another country, but oh you may not have a blog because ma ny countries HAVE NO FREE SPEECH. Thank our defenders that earned that right for us and still fight to keep it today while you sit at your nice house watching tv and sippin cokes, tough life ya got.

    FREEDOM ISN’T FRDEE

  24. SHG

    Oh, so close.  While not the single stupidest post ever, definitely in the top 10.  Congratulations, and I think you ought to thank your teachers for the fine work they’ve done.

  25. John

    As you may or may not know the grand jury has decided not to bring charges against anyone.

    Logically you may think they saw more or different evidence, and thats why they let everyone off.

    But that might not be the case. No one knows what evidence was presented or was ruled prejudicial.

    Sheriff Swanson said that they would have no comment until the investigation was over.

    Ok! Its over, now call Sheriff Swanson and ask him questions.

    (330) 430-3800

    Electronic mail
    [email protected]

    Heres a couple series of film strips, both with one of the deputies holding Hope Steffy and the other deputy with his head down at her butt and his hands blurred out at her genitalia.

    Q1 Doesn’t this qualify as a “visual body cavity” inspection? (So what ARE they doing?)
    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/CavityNoBlue.jpg

    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/CavityBlue.jpg

    Q2 Why were men there at all since there were enough women? (8 people)
    Count them:
    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Steff1.jpg

    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Steff2.jpg

    Q3 Men can not be present in a strip search.

    Men can not be present in a body cavity search.

    Men are not even supposed to be where they can SEE women in showers.

    But after 2 years and NO mention of anything, just as the grand jury thing is going on, why do you come out in a grandstand play and say that men are not only allowed to VIEW a forced stripping of a woman during a “suicide prevention”, they are actually allowed to PARTICIPATE?!?!???

    Q4 Police state Steffy was drunk, what was her breathalyser reading?

    There are more questions, but don’t worry, you’ll NEVER get an answer to these….I’ve already tried.

    As soon as you mention Hope’s name you’ll hit the ‘wall of silence/resistance’ from EVERYONE in the Stark County jail.

    Also on 6-27-2008 I called Jim Gravelle, the press secretary.

    I asked him the same question:

    Why would men be banned from strip searches and body cavity inspections, and not even supposed to be allowed where they can SEE a woman in the showers, but be allowed not only to be present for a “suicide precaution”, with a woman being forcibly stripped naked, but actually be allowed to participate???

    Reply: You mean the policy?

    Me: Yes, who is making this decision.

    Reply: The sheriff’s dept.

    See a pattern here?

    I applaud the courage of Hope Steffy and the others that have come forward.
    I don’t know many people that would want video like that all over the news & net, so that this abuse can be stopped, before it happens to others.

    I just hope people don’t waste the sacrifice these people have made for us.

  26. SHG

    Sorry to hear of the outcome, though no more surprised than you.  Thanks for keeping us up to date.

  27. John

    Oh there is more.

    I KNOW for a fact that Stark County Sheriff’s dept kept information from the grand jury investigators.

    Heres been my experience with the sheriff.

    I have left my name & number at least 3 times with assurances that he would contact me.

    No calls ever returned.

    I have had the people that I DO contact in the sheriff’s dept LIE outright to me.

    I have had the head of the Stark County jail LIE outright to me.

    I have called at the beginning of June to get the name & contact info for the State Atty Gen’s investigators.(At the advice of the State’s Atty. TWICE!)

    The two times I called the people said they knew of NO ONE investigating the Hope Steffy case. Then 3 weeks later the story breaks about the grand jury decision.

    I finally talked to Paul Scarsella, one of the grand jury investigators.

    I told him that the sheriff’s secretary and head jailer denied knowing anyone investigating, he pointed out the obvious, THEY were the ones that requested the investigation.

    I COULD have been an informer, maybe someone in the next cell that night wanting to come forward with my story.

    They didn’t know why I wanted to contact the investigators, only that it was in connection with the Hope Steffy case.

    Just makes me wonder how many others may have gotten sandbagged trying to contact the investigators and what other evidence never made it to the GJ!?!?

  28. John

    I have since talked to Richard DeHeer (330-451-7415) and I asked if they still had the ‘protocol’ to strip search teens on the tours.

    He then told me that there was NO protocol like that….and there NEVER had been.

    I said “well the paper said that you stated the people in the incident were within normal ‘protocol’.

    He again stated “that there was NO protocol like that….and there NEVER had been.”

    He said he couldn’t say more, the suit was still pending.

    I guess he finally figured it out that they were criminals, if they did operate like that.

    I think Steffy’s court date was Dec 1st.
    Don’t know about the girls.

  29. Jacob

    First of all, my wife, wouldn’t do something stupid enough to go to jail in Ohio. I guess if she did, she would be pretty depressed and probably placed on a suicide watch.

    But I think you guys are right. Let’s not deal with her issues and just leave her alone. Maybe she’ll hang herself in the cell and we’ll bash the jailers for another inmate death. Or better yet, release her back to mainstream society. Odds are, she won’t cause any trouble. There’s no such thing as repeat offenders and everyone is rehabilitated in jail.

    That’s much better.

    Sorry about the sarcasm, but while we’re at it, vote Barack.

  30. John

    Ok, what your saying is that YOUR wife would never be in this position, because she has never been in trouble.

    Well besides THIS mess, Steffy has NO record at all, not even a speeding ticket!

    What “issues” are you talking about? The fact that the cop felt that she “disrespected” him, so he screwed her over? Or her depression over her sisters death, that the cop kept “pushing her buttons” about, according to court testimony.

    As for her being suicidal, even experienced psychiatrists can NOT tell if someone is actually suicidal in extended sessions, so how can they with one question? (That she NEVER answers, she instead asks questions.)

    And even the practice of stripping a person is in question by correction professionals.

    Oh yes lets believe everything the cop says, he had a body mic & remote control for the video and could have turned it on at ANYTIME to document his accusations. Taxpayers have spent a considerable amount to provide him with a way to document calls and provide a defense against lawsuits. So WHY wasn’t he using it? A seven year veteran.(Who failed his physiological exam.)

    Then lets not forget the other teen girls & women that ALSO have come forward with reports of abuse. Yeah lets blow them off too.

    And all the “missing” video, non existent video, cameras that weren’t on and cameras that weren’t working, OH YEAH!

    And of course lets not forget that they “saved Steffy’s life”. If I had to be “saved” the way these rouge cops did it, I just as soon they shoot me and get it over with.
    A broken tooth, a bulged disk, a bloody nose, a wrenched arm(s), knocked down, attacked by males & females, ears torn open, and traumatized for life.

    What WON’T Stark County do to “save your life”?!?!?

  31. Melissa

    As the child of a police officer I am generally quick to defend those who put there lives on the line and rarely get thanked. However, that same police officer taught me that the law and those who enforce it must be beyond reproach. In general I’ve learned that speaking without having information on the topic makes you look like an idiot.

    I know many cops and others in our legal system who are OUTRAGED at this case. Before claiming that those who speak against the police and attorney general in THIS CASE are part of a problem research THIS CASE. Really, do a google search on Hope Steffy. Watch the video. Request transcripts under the Freedom of Information Act. Then come back and defend this abuse.

    A little knowledge goes a long way. A little ignorance goes even farther.

  32. John

    Melissa
    Hi, I also have relation in the local police force. Plus I have neighbors and people I know that work in a max prison. I have also worked with a few people on the county sheriff’s dept for years.

    People hear about abuses by police like this, and they want nothing to do with them.

    Also, the thing about an incident like THIS is that it puts the rest of the cops that ARE doing a good job in a bad light and can actually put them at risk!

    Hopefully Swanson will be replaced after November elections.
    They have a GREAT replacement in the former Alliance police chief Larry Dordea.
    And Stark County DESPERATELY needs new leadership!!

  33. John

    Wow there has been so much more about this case. I haven’t posted for a while.

    Heres a Cut & Paste:

    This is the BCI report that Agent Christy S. Palmer sent to John D. Ferrero, Prosecuting Attorney Stark County Ohio.
    Dated April 16, 2008 BCI Case #: SI-76-08-14-0147

    This is part of page 3

    http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/?action=view&current=BCI-Report.jpg

    Sheriff Swanson has ALWAYS maintained that Steffey was ASKED & REFUSED to remove her cloths.

    But here’s the BCI’s OWN REPORT that PROVES this is a LIE!

    But apparently catching the sheriff’s dept in a lie isn’t a big deal to our “independent” BCI investigator, Christy Palmer, who seems ready to accept ANY excuse the sheriff’s dept wants to use.

    The report also goes on to say that they lowered Steffey in a slow controlled manner to the floor. Except that Steffey says she was thrown to the floor.
    She also told her husband in a phone call that she thought the cops had broken her nose.
    And she was treated by the nurse for the injury.
    And in page 4 of this report Christy Palmer even states that Steffey reported that her nose was making “crunching noises”.

    So I guess this is proof of a second LIE.

    And still Christy Palmer, the “independent investigator” doesn’t think twice about accepting the word of the cops over the VICTIMS in spite of proof.
    BTW, Christy also references a video that she says “proves that she was lowered in a slow controlled manner to the floor”. As far as I know, THIS would have to be on the ‘non-existent’ beginning of the strip video.
    On May 5th when I asked about the “missing” video, I was told it would soon be released.
    Now here again it looks as though it’s referenced…even though they NOW claim it does not exist.
    Interesting. (I have filed a request for this video.)

    This isn’t so much an investigation report as it is a smear campaign against Hope Steffey.

    They are trying to say that Steffey was resisting enough that EIGHT people couldn’t take the chance of ASKING her to remove her cloths, or EVEN TELL HER WHAT WAS GOING ON!!!

    I did NOT see any resisting in the video, I saw eight cops parading her to the cell, with her in cuffs.

    In fact EVERY video I have seen she is in cuffs!
    And the ONLY times I have seen her react to the cops is after they have assaulted her or in the process of stripping her naked.

    The cops can polish this turd as much as want, this STILL STINKS!

    BTW I don’t know why they bothered to black out the names of Nurse Coren Lennon and the jail psychologist Thomas Anuszkiewicz, aren’t they PROUD of the work they do?

  34. John

    UPDATE:



    Ok heres a video you won’t see on the news either. This is some of what I got from the BCI “investigation” that the state had.

    Heres the cops taking Steffey to the cell to strip her naked.

    The quality of the video is pretty bad. It will seem to ‘skip’ frames for quite a while in some places, but then take a bunch in a row at other times. Why it does this, I don’t know.
    All the cameras at the sheriff’s dept seem to be in bad shape and “malfunction” right at critical moments.

    I had to cut this video in half, it was 20 minutes long, from the time they took her in to the time they left the hall in front of her cell. So I cut off the front of it when they took her in.
    Heres a link to the whole thing that should be good for a while:
    http://rapidshare.com/files/23240009…ction_Done.wmv

    WHY does it take 20 minutes outside the hall to show a “suicide prevention” that only took 4 min?

    The building camera, seems to skip a lot of frames, so you’d think it would be a shorter video.

    But as you can see after they have closed up the cell after assaulting her, they all stand around and have a good laugh, so this will add some more time to the video.

    As you can see from the video the big dufass in the white shirt, he stays at the door to the cell looking in all the time Steffey was being assaulted, and then he stays back around her cell afterwards, looking in….GEE, I wonder WHY?
    Then afterwards he’s joined by another officer who didn’t get a chance to help strip Steffey and he starts walking down to have a look too.

    WHY DON’T THEY JUST SELL TICKETS?!?!?!?

    BUT THEN the camera seems to malfunction, and the next thing you see is a empty hall.
    WOW, …..MORE “missing” video from Stark County Sheriff’s Dept.

    Office of the Ohio Attorney General
    (614) 466-4320

    Stark County Sheriff’s Office
    (330)/430-3800

    Correctional Healthcare Group
    Jonathan Stump
    330-454-6766
    ====
    Pictures of all the cops smiling after they have assaulted Hope Steffey outside her cell.
    They seem really amused at her screams and begging them to stop.

    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39…BigLaugh-1.jpg
    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39…BigLaugh22.jpg
    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39…BigLaugh33.jpg

    And heres a picture of a cop on the way to strip Steffey, he’s doing a “tagoff” to one of the other officers, while it looks as though he is following behind the nurse Coren Lennon.

    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39…9/Steffey4.jpg

    ====
    Heres a news article that mentions Stark County Jail:

    http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090511/NEWS16/905110319

  35. John

    Ukrainian woman should get day in court over botched translation at jailBy Shane Hoover
    CantonRep.com staff writer
    Posted Jun 04, 2009 @ 05:51 PM

    CANTON —
    A jury should hear a Ukrainian immigrant’s claim that a botched translation led to her wrongly being placed on suicide precautions at the Stark County Jail, a federal judge ruled this week.

    But an appeal of that decision by the county and Sheriff Timothy Swanson means Valentina Dyshko’s case won’t go to trial next week as scheduled.

    Dyshko, of Lake Township, filed her lawsuit last year.

    In court papers, her attorneys say the jail employees violated Dyshko’s constitutional rights by communicating with her through an unqualified interpreter, and that the sheriff’s office has no policy on how to handle detainees or inmates who don’t speak English, which is contrary to national standards.

    Further, Dyshko’s lawsuit says she missed three doses of medication for a serious blood disorder while in the jail, and that the ordeal caused her severe emotional distress and led to her being hospitalized.

    The county argues that Dyshko’s rights weren’t violated and that the jail staff acted reasonably.the case.

  36. Ryan

    I have a perfect but nasty-to-some idea to handle this. Round up all the officers at this jail, sedate them, call up registered sex offenders in the area, and, provided they are granted immunity to what they are about to do, have them gang rape these you-know-whats.

  37. John

    The links above seem to be bad…will try again….

    Pictures of all the cops smiling after they have assaulted Hope Steffey outside her cell.
    They seem really amused at her screams and begging them to stop.

    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/SteffeyBigLaugh-1.jpg
    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/SteffeyBigLaugh22.jpg
    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/SteffeyBigLaugh33.jpg

    And heres a picture of a cop on the way to strip Steffey, he’s doing a “tagoff” to one of the other officers, while it looks as though he is following behind the nurse Coren Lennon.

    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Steffey4.jpg

  38. Ben

    I was a high schoo teacher for five years. I taught in a neighborhood that was crime-ridden, drug-infested, and the “locals” didn’t trust the police.

    Here’s my question:

    How are America’s teachers supposed to tell the students to respect the police and cooperate with law enforcement, when we see this stuff on youtube? What message are police chiefs and District Attorneys sending to our kids if they tolerate this?

  39. John

    Here’s my question:

    WHY would you tell the students to respect the police and cooperate with law enforcement, after you have seen this stuff on YouTube?

    I have relation that are LEOs, their advice is always to keep your mouth shut.

    They have become ‘revenue collectors’, any charge they can get on you means more fines for the city/county/state, and more $$$ rolling in!

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