Can a male police officer frisk a 15 year old girl

[aj.caruso]

Can a male police officer frisk a 15 year old girl or should they call a female officer and wait for her to show up?

 

[reesek8]

The only time a male officer can frisk a woman is when there is a suspicion that weapons are involved. If the male officer wants to frisk a girl out for stolen items, he should call for a female officer.

 

[DancingLady]

Definitely needs to call a female officer. Especially for someone who is a minor, that would be extremely risky for the officer's reputation as a minor does not have all their rights yet and could easily be seriously intimidated.

 

[askanison]

Most officers will answer the same way to this question. A male officer who frisks or searches a female suspect leaves himself open to litigation and accusations of molestation and even rape. Most officers will call for a female officer to come to the scene and perform the search for them rather than risk being accused of some sort of wrong doing on their part. I really don't blame them either. Do you?

 

[Teens In Crisis]

Not being rude here, but does anyone have any idea if this is a "rule" or not? Or is this all speculation? There seems to always be rumors and myths about what's allowed and what is not. I'd love to hear, or see, some official policy on the subject.

 

[sillylucy]

I asked my neighbor (he has been an officer for 10 years) and he says that they do not frisk underage females unless there are weapons involved and they have been called the the scene because of reports of violence. A lot of girls here fight and some carry knives or guns. They usually call a female for backup, but in the head of the moment they will do a pat down.

 

[Patrick]

I think they have to call a female officer, and have a neutral witness to affirm that there is no outrage of modesty. In this regard I think that there is a double standard when it comes to searching males, sometimes excessive violence and restraint is employed while searching men.

 

[DancingLady]

I think they have to call a female officer, and have a neutral witness to affirm that there is no outrage of modesty. In this regard I think that there is a double standard when it comes to searching males, sometimes excessive violence and restraint is employed while searching men.

That is a very good point. Males should also be protected from inappropriate contact. I don't really know much about the policies they have but I can definitely see a potential here for inappropriate things to be done to intimidate or humiliate someone.

 

[Teens In Crisis]

There is still a lot of double standard today. It's not as prevalent as it was, say 10 years ago, but it very much still exists. This is a prime example. The underage thing is particular to this instance, but in general, I think we should not assume that a male cop is going for a quick feel. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? This seems set up to avoid guilt, before even accused.