Lawsuit Accuses Hazel Park Officers of Making Women ‘shake Breasts’ During Traffic Stop

Two women are suing four Hazel Park officers after they were allegedly forced to flash their breasts at the officers during a traffic stop earlier this summer, a federal lawsuit contends.

But the local police chief says the allegations, while extremely serious, are just that — allegations.

“It’s important for everyone to realize that for $75 and an attorney, anyone can file a federal lawsuit,” said Hazel Park Police Chief Martin Barner.

“You can say whatever you want in it and the statements never have to be proven factual” until it gets to court.

The women in the lawsuit claim four officers made them lift their shirts and shake their breasts during the traffic stop, which happened around 2 a.m. June 5 on northbound I-75, just past Eight Mile within Hazel Park’s borders.

The lawsuit — filed Sept. 9 by Southfield-based attorney Robert Giroux in U.S. District Court in Detroit — involves Shelby Township resident Michelle Jaeger, Jan Crawford, of Berkley, and Christopher Mattice, who were all in the car during the stop.

The women are seeking $75,000 in damages due to emotional and subsequent physical pain and distress the incident caused, according to the suit.

The filing names only Hazel Park officer Ryan McCabe, who has not been put on administrative leave, according to Barner. The other officers are listed in the suit as “John Doe officers 1-3.”

The federal filing details the traffic stop, which officer McCabe told the women was made because Jaeger, the driver of the Chevy Tahoe, changed lanes across a solid white line without using a turn signal.

During the stop, McCabe searched Mattice and found a small bag of cocaine, the filing states.

After the search, McCabe instructed Crawford to “lean over the hood of the vehicle, pull up her shirt and bra, thereby exposing her breasts to those on the scene and to the traffic driving by on northbound I-75, and to shake her breasts,” the women claim in the suit.

“He then directed her to shake her breasts again, harder.”

Giroux states in the complaint that at least one officer also recorded the strip searches of both women with a cell phone, and the scene would have been visible to traffic moving along northbound I-75.

“The conduct of defendants Ryan McCabe and John Doe officers 1-3 was and remains extreme and outrageous, subjecting them to punitive damages,” Giroux contends, claiming his clients’ Fourth Amendment rights were violated.

Giroux added he learned that none of the officers’ patrol vehicle dashcams were turned on, and that there was no body camera footage of the incident.

Barner, who said he just received a copy of the filing, said there was no written complaint about McCabe before this.

“We’re going to let the facts and the court of law determine what is factual and what is not,” he said.

The lawsuit has been referred to U.S. District Magistrate Judge David Grand.

Source: www.theoaklandpress.com www.theoaklandpress.com

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