NY police force strip searched nearly everyone it arrested, DOJ says

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (AP) — A report from the Department of Justice finds that the police department in a New York City suburb grossly violated residents’ rights, documenting illegal strip searches of people who weren’t under arrest, and arrests of people for verbally criticizing officers. The report on the approximately 160-officer department blames financial mismanagement and unlawful department policies for perpetuating pervasive human rights violations. It says that the department began curtailing unconstitutional practices like unwarranted strip searches only when the DOJ began investigating in 2021, but it’s not confident that the violations have ceased. In a statement, Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said the city would work with the DOJ to address its findings.