A group of nearly 20 women who were held at the San Francisco County Jail have launched a federal class action lawsuit, accusing the sheriff’s department of violating their rights. They allege that they were subjected to mass strip searches, purportedly conducted as “training” exercises, with male deputies present and making jokes at their expense.
The lawsuit, filed recently in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, targets the city and county of San Francisco, the SF County Sheriff’s Department, the sheriff himself, and several department members. The complaint, obtained by The Post, details the alleged incidents that took place on and around May 22, 2025.
According to the plaintiffs, these intrusive searches were conducted not just on the specified date but also at various times before and after. The women claim they were forced to strip naked in the presence of male deputies who allegedly mocked them and recorded the incidents. Prosecutors have asserted that these actions were intentional, not accidental.
The lawsuit covers a broad category of plaintiffs, including those who were strip-searched before May 22, during the mass operation on that day, and those who experienced similar searches in the subsequent months without any suspicion-based justification, as outlined in the complaint.
Furthermore, the women allege that they were compelled to disrobe not only in front of male deputies but also in front of other women, with the searches being captured by deputies wearing body cameras. This aspect of the complaint underscores the invasive nature of the searches and the alleged breaches of privacy and dignity suffered by the detainees.
The women claimed they were not only forced to strip naked in front of other women but that this also allegedly occurred while deputies wore body-worn cameras and recorded the searches.
“Multiple plaintiffs heard Sergeant Ibarra, the supervising officer, explicitly instruct Deputy Dockery not to deactivate her body-worn camera during the searches,” per the complaint.
“When Dockery asked whether she should turn her camera off, Ibarra said no. Ibarra later told detainees the footage might be ‘used for training purposes.’”
The complaint goes on to allege that Ibarra “told women the footage was similar to what they ‘see on YouTube’ and was ‘just like ‘Cops’” the TV show.
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) states that strip searches must be conducted outside the view of anyone not involved and that no male staff are present when women are searched.
The suit also claimed that when various women either complained or filed grievances about the strip searches they were allegedly retaliated against.
“After plaintiffs LaSonya Wells and Alexcis Herrera organized other women to file tort claims, both were placed in segregation within a week,” the complaint read.
“Sergeant Ibarra directly threatened continued strip searches in November 2025 unless women ceased what he called ‘disrespecting deputies.’”
The suit was filed by attorney’s: Elizabeth Bertolino, Molly Ryan, Anthony Label, and Michael Christian.
Speaking to Mission Local in November, one of the women allegedly subjected to the strip searches talked about the trauma she still feels from it.
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“I’m still having nightmares about it,” one of the women told the outlet.
In November, the SFSO issued a statement that “appropriate personnel action was taken” following the numerous allegations.
“The conduct described is deeply concerning and does not reflect the policies, procedures, or professional standards we require of our staff,” the department told KTVU.
“We want to acknowledge the women who came forward. Every complaint raised within our facilities is taken seriously, and we remain committed to ensuring that all individuals in our care are treated with dignity, respect, and in full accordance with our policies and procedures.”
The women are seeking “compensatory damages for all constitutional and statutory violations” from things such as alleged emotional distress, trauma, physical injuries, loss of work assignments, etc, per the complaint.
The Post reached out to the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.
