Rights of a Roadside Strip Search:Violated

      As American Citizens, we have the exclusive right to a proper search by state troopers and police officers of the United States. At times, roadside searches can be of benefit. Yet, their is a limit to the amount of contact that should take place during such a search. In addition, there should be a clear purpose as to why the search is taking place, and the necessary steps to conduct such a search should be carried out prior to the search. A specific article I read, "Women Win Lawsuit After Being Violated During Roadside Search,"captions the terrible experience two women faced while being searched by state troopers.

      This article depicts an improper roadside search involving two innocent women and two state troopers. To expound, two women, Angela and Ashley Dobbs, were making their way to Oklahoma when they were pulled over by State Trooper David Farrell due to discharging cigarette buds out of their windows. After pulling the women over, Farrell supposedly smelt marijuana. As a result, he took it upon himself to search the vehicle. According to criminal.findlaw.com, it is reasonable for a state trooper to examine a vehicle if he or she suspects one to have illegal drugs, but no clear possibility of drugs were presented. The women displayed no sign of any intake of drugs.This is clearly the first piece of evidence of the search gone wrong. In my opinion, Farrell should have gained the consent of the women to search the car. If denied, he should have then acquired a search warrant. Yet, Farrell fail to do both of these steps. Farrell striped the women of their fourth amendment. This displays a lack of respect to the women and their property. Next, after searching the car, no presence of marijuana was found. Hence, he called a female trooper, Kelly Helleson, to search the women. Finally, Farrell manages to carry out one of the women rights! This next piece of evidence puts the icing on the cake. Instead of a normal pat down search, Helleson has the audacity to examine each and every cavity of the women's body using the same pair of gloves. This included the anuses and vaginas of both women. Exactly, this is the most disgusting action that could ever be performed in the entire history of roadside searches. To me, this was extremely unnecessary and humiliating. No citizen of America should have to deal with such incidents. Just imagine the emotions experienced by the women as the trooper examined them in front of thousands of by passers. No doubt they were embarrassed.
      I strongly feel the women's rights were disregarded. Why? The women were forced to have their vehicle search with no clear reason. This car no doubt included some of the ladies personal and private items. I feel that Farrell used his position to bully the women in a sense. Next, Trooper Helleson fondled both Ashley and Angela. In my opinion, this was a form of sexual assault. The search should have never went to such a degree.
      In conclusion, the search carried out by the two troopers violated the ladies' rights. The search involved inappropriate and uncomfortable touching. After examining my points, do you think the troopers actions were necessary? According to Texas Department of Safety, the troopers actions were unacceptable, for the two women won a $185,000 lawsuit. After being fired, Helleson was charged with several counts, including sexual assault. What beautiful music to my ears! As for Farrell, he was suspended due to accusations of stealing addicting cough medicine from the women during the search. I feel regardless of gender, race, and age everyone has rights during a roadside strip search that should be obeyed. The question is will you as a citizen allow those rights to be violated or not?

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/women-win-lawsuit-after-being-violated-during-roadside-search

   

      

Annotated Photo