Dart Plans Appeal Of Strip Search Ruling

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 15, 2009 7:15PM

On Thursday, a federal jury ruled against the Cook County Jail in regards to inmates' complaints of illegal strip searches and behavior by the sheriff's department staff was "sexually degrading." While a Cook County Sheriff's spokesman said, "correctional officers and staff acted appropriately and did not violate constitutional rights,' the jury thought otherwise. But Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is already planning an appeal. Said Dart, "We have to do everything physically possible to make sure people aren't bringing weapons into the jail or bringing narcotics into the jail, so we do that. With that in mind, are there times when strip searching is a necessity? Absolutely. Anyone who would tell you otherwise is out of their mind."