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May 26, 2026

Women sue San Francisco jail over alleged cross-gender strip searches and body-camera filming

Twenty women incarcerated in San Francisco County Jail filed a proposed class action accusing sheriff's deputies of forcing detainees to strip naked in front of male staff while recording the searches on body cameras, then retaliating against women who complained.

Women sue San Francisco jail over alleged cross-gender strip searches and body-camera filming
Bertolino

Twenty women locked up in San Francisco County Jail filed a lawsuit Friday against the city, the sheriff and four deputies, accusing them of a systemic pattern of cross-gender strip searches, covert body‑camera filming of naked detainees, and retaliation against those who dared to speak out.

The proposed class action, filed in the Northern District of California, concerns a May 22, 2025 operation in the jail's women's housing unit, where plaintiffs allege male deputies wer...

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