Community
Response to Lawsuit
| Nature of Incident: | Response to Federal Lawsuit | |
| Narrative: | ||
| On Monday, May 7, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Jennifer Hyatt was filing a lawsuit against the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. The suit alleges Ms. Hyatt’s hijab was “violently yanked” from her head while she was being booked at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Pre-Trial Detention Facility, and that she was not allowed to wear the hijab for the duration of her brief stay at the jail. The suit further alleges Ms. Hyatt was treated poorly and intentionally shamed by deputies due to her religious beliefs. On January 1, 2017, Ms. Hyatt was arrested after a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy saw her jump out of a car on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. A Ventura County Sheriff’s deputy arrived on scene and conducted an investigation, which was recorded on his body-worn camera. The investigation resulted in Hyatt’s arrest, and she was taken to the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura and booked. When arrestees are booked into the jail, they are searched, and items in their possession that could be used to injure themselves or others are taken from them. Items such as shoelaces, belts, and scarves are taken because they can be used as strangulation devices. Unfortunately, individuals booked into jail often experience varying emotional states, and suicidal and predatory ideation are very real considerations. The contact between sheriff’s office personnel and Ms. Hyatt was recorded on the jail camera system in the booking area. Female deputies did remove Ms. Hyatt’s hijab. However, the circumstances under which it was done and the intentions of the deputies involved were quite different than what is alleged in the suit. The sheriff’s office strongly objects to the manner in which Ms. Hyatt’s suit has portrayed our deputies. The videos and audio available to us tell quite a different story. No deputy is ever heard making rude, demeaning, or inappropriate remarks, and the manner in which the hijab was removed from Ms. Hyatt was deliberately respectful, patient and gentle. In fact, a portion of the hijab is initially removed so a nurse could examine possible injuries Ms. Hyatt allegedly suffered in her vehicle. The observable body language and the audible conversation of all those involved at the jail, including Ms. Hyatt, is one of respect, and at no point was it indicative of hostility, malfeasance, or disdain. Ms. Hyatt is never heard requesting to wear her hijab; however, we do accept her assertion that the request was made and ultimately denied due to security concerns. We believe the removal of her hijab was legal for the safety and security of the jail. However, under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, arguably, we should have offered an accommodation and we did not. This practice has been rectified. I personally called CAIR the day prior to their media event and asked to speak to the executive director, who was out of town. Their media director called back and I told him that we should have provided an accommodation, and we have corrected that practice. I also told him that we had video that was contrary to Ms. Hyatt’s depiction of the story and other video from prior contacts with Ms. Hyatt that might be enlightening for them. The sheriff’s office legal counsel spoke to Ms. Hyatt’s legal counsel and offered to let them see the videos prior to their media event, but they did not accept the offer. Law enforcement agencies are often put in the difficult position of preserving the confidentiality of conversations and recordings when they involve both a suspect and/or victim, even when we know the truth of the matter is different than what is being publicly alleged. We must often “take it on the chin” until the facts can be heard and seen in a court, under the direction of a judge. Unfortunately, in this case, the Ventura County Star chose to editorialize only one side of the story. The sheriff’s office respects the religious beliefs of all people in the community. The actions of our staff in all of the contacts we have had with Ms. Hyatt were in good faith and were in no way meant to demean her. Our goal has been, and continues to be, to provide a safe environment for those entrusted to our care. This includes Ms. Hyatt, who was only in our custody for a few hours. |
||
| Prepared by: Follow up contact: |
Sheriff Geoff Dean Sgt. Eric Buschow (805)947-8129 [email protected] |
|
| Media Release Date: | May 13, 2018 | |
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511