Dancers sue San Diego police following recent raid of area strip club

The San Diego Police Department faces a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of more than two dozen dancers who allege they were held against their will during a recent raid of a local strip club. This local article explains:

Twenty-five dancers at a San Diego strip club have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the San Diego Police Department, claiming that police officers held them against their will and took revealing pictures of their tattoos.

 

Ten San Diego police officers raided the Cheetahs Gentlemen’s Club in Kearny Mesa on March 6 to check 30 dancers’ permits and the business’ compliance to city codes, according to a claim filed by attorney Dan Gilleon.

 

During the check, the claim says the unidentified officers detained dancers against their will for about one hour without a warrant and without probable cause.

 

They ordered the women to pose in various positions and expose their body so the police could photograph their tattoos, all the while making “arrogant and demanding comments” and telling the women to “smile,” the claim states.

 

According to Gilleon, the SDPD said its officers were abiding by municipal code as they inspected the business and demanded identification.

 

“Any peace officer shall have free access to any police-regulated business during normal operating hours,” municipal code states.

 

But the civil rights lawsuit said the officers went too far, violating the dancers’ civil rights by making them disclose private information like Social Security numbers and subjecting them to demeaning searches and seizures.

 

Cheetahs manager Rich Buonantony said this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

 

He claimed the women were helpless because if they said “no” to any part of the operation, their work permit and business licenses could be taken away.

 

The claim filed against the SDPD is for more than $10,000, though an exact dollar amount has not been released.