A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED IN GEORGIA AND REGARD
TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO WERE SEARCHED BY POLICE WITHOUT
A WARRANT.
THIS STORY ACTUALLY BROKE BACK IN APRIL AND IT WAS REPORTED BY
RADLEY BALKO AT THE WASHINGTON POST AND APPARENTLY, THESE COPS
FROM WORTH COUNTY WENT TO WORTH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL AND ALLEGED
THAT SOME OF THE STUDENTS MIGHT'VE BEEN IN POSSESSION OF
ILLICIT DRUGS AND SO AS A RESULT, THEY DECIDED TO SEARCH
900 STUDENTS WITHOUT A WARRANT AND OF COURSE, THEY CAME UP
WITH NOTHING.
THEY FOUND NO DRUGS.
THE STORY ON ITS OWN IS OUTRAGEOUS, BUT KEEP IN
MIND THIS WAS THE SECOND SEARCH IN ONE MONTH THAT
ESSENTIALLY TURNED UP NOTHING.
NOW WE'RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE METHODS THAT THEY USED
AND WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT IT THROUGH THIS CLASS-ACTION
LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT SOMETHING, THESE ARE
ALLEGATIONS.
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CONFIRMED WHICH IS WHY A LAWSUIT IS
NECESSARY.
WE WILL FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT THESE ACTIONS WERE TAKEN
BY THESE DEPUTIES HOWEVER, THIS IS WHAT THE LAWSUIT ALLEGES.
DEPUTIES TOUCHED AND MANIPULATED STUDENTS BREASTS AND GENITALS.
DEPUTIES INSERTED FINGERS INSIDE GIRLS BRAS AND PULLED THE GIRLS
BRAWLS, TOUCHING AND PARTIALLY EXPOSING THEIR BARE BREASTS.
DEPUTIES TOUCHED GIRLS UNDERWEAR BY PLACING HANDS INSIDE THE
WAISTBANDS OF THEIR PANTS ARE REACHING UP THEIR DRESSES.
DEPUTIES TOUCHED GIRLS OF NATIONAL AREAS THROUGH
THEIR UNDERWEAR.
DEPUTIES CUPPED OR GROPED BOYS GENITALS AND TOUCHED THEIR
BUTTOCKS THROUGH THEIR PANTS.
WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THE COPS ALLEGE THAT THESE SEARCHES ARE
PERFECTLY FINE WITHOUT A WARRANT AS LONG AS ADMINISTRATORS ARE
OKAY WITH IT, BUT ADMINISTRATORS ARE ACTUALLY DISTANCING
THEMSELVES IN THE COPS ERA DISAGREEING WITH WHAT WAS DONE.
IN FACT, THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS COME OUT AND IS COMPLETELY
AGAINST AND SAID IN MY 40 YEARS OF DOING WHAT I DO, I HAVE
NEVER COME ACROSS A SITUATION LIKE THIS.
I DID NOT AGREE TO IT.
SO EVERYTHING WILL BE HASHED OUT IN COURT, BUT IT IS A LITTLE
QUESTIONABLE THAT THEY TOOK THE MEASURES THAT THEY TOOK.
THAT THEY SEARCH AS MANY PEOPLE AS A SEARCH AND ALSO KEEP
IN MIND THAT THE DEPUTIES HAD A LIST OF 13 SUSPECTED STUDENTS.
ONLY THREE OF THEM WERE IN SCHOOL THAT DAY.
SO WHY WOULD YOU SEARCH 900 STUDENTS LOOKING FOR DRUGS?
AND IF THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE TRUE, WHY WOULD THEY HAVE
TO BE AS INVASIVE AS THEY WERE?
IT IS ALL VERY STRANGE DAIKON, IT WILL BE HASHED OUT
THROUGH THIS CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT.
ALSO, WHAT DOESN'T REALLY ADD UP TO ME IS THE
SUPERINTENDENT HAS COME OUT VEHEMENTLY AGAINST WHAT
HAPPENED THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 900 STUDENTS.
THAT IS A LOT OF TIME.
WHAT THEY THINK WAS HAPPENING?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I BELIEVE THEY ARE AGAINST IT.
I CAN'T IMAGINE IF THIS IS TRUE WHAT SORT OF AN EVIL
SUPERINTENDENT YOU WOULD NEED TO BE TO SIGN OFF AND BE LIKE
I'M OKAY, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE APPROPRIATE WAY TO HANDLE
THE SITUATION.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 900 STUDENTS HERE.
THAT IS A LOT.
SOMEONE MUST'VE DONE SOMETHING AND EITHER NOT SPOKEN UP
BECAUSE PERHAPS THEY WERE INTIMIDATED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THAT IS A WHOLE SEPARATE CONVERSATION THAT
WE CAN HAVE, OR THEY JUST DECIDED NOT TO SAY ANYTHING.
I DON'T KNOW.
THE SOMETHING WHAT ABOUT THE STORY.
THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE HASHED OUT IN THE LAWSUIT.
COURSES ARE JUST ALLEGATIONS BUT IF THERE ARE ENOUGH STUDENTS OF
THESE LAWYERS FEEL TO FILE A CLASS-ACTION A MEANS THEY HAVE
SOME SORT OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY FEEL WILL REALLY HELP THEIR
CASE.
THEY FELT THEY CAN WIN THIS CASE AND THEY HAVE ENOUGH
TESTIMONY FROM A NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
IF, AND MAYBE THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION, BUT IF I
HAD A CHILD THAT WAS GOING TO THE SCHOOL AND I WAS
NOTIFIED BY THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION THAT THERE
IS REASON TO BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THESE STUDENTS, MAYBE EVEN
MINE IS IN POSSESSION OF ILLICIT DRUGS, HERE'S WHAT I WOULD DO.
I WOULD NOT AGREE TO HAVING MY CHILD SEARCHED BY THE
AUTHORITIES.
I WOULD ONCE HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH MY KID AND FIGURED OUT
FOR MYSELF.
THIS IS INSANELY INVASIVE AND ALSO KEEP IN MIND, THEIR
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SO THEY ARE OLDER BUT STILL, TREATING
THEM LIKE THEY ARE CRIMINALS AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN
GREAT LENGTH ON THE SHOW.
TREATING THEM LIKE CRIMINALS TURNS INTO A
SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY.
IT IS SUPER DANGEROUS.
I THINK THAT IT CONTINUES TO REINFORCE THIS POLICE STATE
AND I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S JUST GETTING THEM READY FOR
THE REAL WORLD BECAUSE WE ARE ALL BEING SPIED ON AND
VIOLATED DAY IN AND DAY OUT ESPECIALLY IF WE ARE
TRAVELING AND USING AIRPORTS TO DO SO BUT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
I WOULD BE OUTRAGED IF I FOUND THAT THE MY DAUGHTER OR SON
WAS BEING SEARCHED IN THIS WAY IN ORDER TO FIND DRUGS.
THE REASON THAT THEY DID IT, IF THEY HAD ACTUAL EVIDENCE,
AND AGAIN, THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING.
THE REASON IS EVEN GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.
JUST TO FIND DRUGS YOU ARE GOING TO VIOLATE ALL THESE KIDS?
IS ALSO VIOLATES THE BASIC PRINCIPLE.
MY MIND WAS A TEACHER ALWAYS FOLLOWED THERE IS AN ASSUMPTION
OF TRUST AND I'M GOING TO ASSUME YOU ARE TELLING ME THE TRUTH
UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE ABOUT THEM GOING IN AND REALLY BEING
SO EVASIVE TO THIS NUMBER OF STUDENTS UNTIL THE STUDENTS AT
THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF LAW ENFORCEMENT WE DON'T TRUST YOU
AND IN THEIR THINKING I DON'T TRUST YOU EITHER AND SO THAT
SETS A HORRIBLE TONE MOVING FORWARD FOR THE STUDENTS
THAT HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS.
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TRUST THEM, YOUR KID, WHATEVER UNTIL
PROVEN OTHERWISE.
TRUST THAT THEY ARE GOOD.
PEOPLE I THINK ARE GOOD, THEY'VE A GOOD DISPOSITION AND THIS
VIOLATES ALL OF THAT.
RIGHT, AND ALSO MAYBE THE FIRST TIME YOU DID THIS
MASS SURVEILLANCE OF THESE KIDS AND YOU DIDN'T FIND
ANYTHING THAT SHOULD'VE TOLD YOU SOMETHING BUT APPARENTLY
THESE COPS OUT OF A LOT OF TIME ON THEIR HANDS THEY HAVE TO
LOOK FOR DRUGS IN SEARCH 900 STUDENTS.
BY THE WAY, THE SCHOOL IS MADE UP OF 900
STUDENTS AT LEAST ACCORDING TO THE WASHINGTON POST.