The City of Puyallup did not violate anyone’s right to privacy when jail staff filmed inmates in various states of undress, according to a Thursday US District Court verdict.
Last year 12 people — mostly women — argued their constitutional right to privacy was violated when jailhouse video captured them undressing or using the bathroom.
The videos were all recorded inside the Puyallup Jail. Each of the 12 was arrested on misdemeanor DUI charges, and all of them were captured on camera inside one of two holding cells. The video recorded them either urinating or changing into jail house clothing.
Since the lawsuit was filed last year, there has been a significant change in jail policy. Puyallup Jail stopped recording video in those holding cells, citing too many public disclosure requests for the videos.
Puyallup police say while they no longer record and store video inside the holding cells, cameras are still being used to record video in other areas of the jail.
Eleven women and one man say what they thought were private moments, were not. On Thursday a jury disagreed, saying the city was within its rights to film the inmates.
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