The family of a young girl, who was only 12 years old at the time, has taken legal action by filing a federal lawsuit. This comes after an incident where a Joliet police officer conducted a stop-and-frisk on her, and the family alleges that their attempts to discuss the matter with the Joliet Police Department were rebuffed.
In the interest of safeguarding the girl’s privacy, ABC7 Chicago has obscured her face in the footage, while Joliet police ensured her older sister’s identity was similarly protected.
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The incident occurred when the two sisters were en route to visit their grandmother. They were halted by Joliet police due to suspicions surrounding a suspended vehicle registration linked to an insurance issue.
“This was not prompted by a 911 call, nor was there a crime like a bank heist or reckless driving at high speeds. It was merely a standard traffic stop,” explained Victor Henderson, the family’s attorney.
Footage from the officers’ body cameras captures the moment when the younger sister, seated in the passenger seat, was directed to step out of the vehicle during the stop.
The officer instructed the 12-year-old to turn around, further escalating the situation.
The officer patted her down with both hands, touching between her legs, upper thighs and other areas. Her older sister was heard asking the officer why he frisked a 12-year-old. Their mother rushed to the scene after receiving a phone call from her daughters.
“I came to the scene in a panic, trying to make sure everything was OK,” Nayocka Jones said.
Jones’ daughters were never charged with anything. Jones immediately filed a complaint with the Joliet Police Department.
Following the Feb. 18, 2024 traffic stop, video shows the officer’s sergeant in disbelief over the pat down.
The sergeant told the officer he doesn’t know how to smooth this one over. The officer tried to explain his intention wasn’t to be perverted.
Despite admitting wrongdoing, Jones claims the Joliet Police Department was not interested in meeting about her concerns.
“When the sergeant says, ‘hey, the officer did wrong,’ we naturally expected that they would sit down with us and speak to us,” Henderson said.
Because of pending litigation, the Joliet Police Department has no comment.
Jones says her daughter has suffered from separation anxiety since the incident.
“She doesn’t want to go anywhere. She can’t stay focused. I have to keep her busy,” Jones said.
As for discipline against the officer, he only received a notice of counseling by his sergeant.
It states any further violations will result in discipline.
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