Last night at work, I couldn't stop thinking about the horrific ordeal that Angel Dobbs and her niece, Ashley Dobbs, had to endure earlier this summer. As I mentioned yesterday, the Dobbses were pulled over by Texas state trooper David Ferrell for throwing cigarette butts out of their car. Suspecting there was marijuana in the Dobbses' car, Ferrell called one of his female colleagues, Kelley Helleson, to the scene to conduct a body cavity search of both Dobbses. While Ferrell searched the car without the Dobbses' consent, Helleson searched the two women in full view of those driving by, and used the same pair of gloves for both women. They were released with citations for littering after no evidence turned up of illegal drugs. The whole thing was caught on Ferrell's dashcam video (warning, NSFW).
This is one of the most outrageous instances of police brutality I've seen in a long time. Several commenters in my diary from yesterday mentioned that Helleson not only used the same pair of gloves for both women, but went from anus to vagina with both women--thus exposing them to any number of infections and possibly threatening their ability to have children. If anyone without a badge were to do this, they would be arrested for sexual assault and voyeurism. I know that if some cop were to do this to my girlfriend, I'd be screaming and probably would need to be held back to keep from going after the cop.
The Dobbses have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the troopers, and the Dallas County DA has opened a public integrity probe into the matter. Also, Helleson has been suspended with pay (though Ferrell is still on duty). But given how outrageous this was, Ferrell and Helleson need to not only forfeit their badges, but go to prison. Sign this petition calling for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to launch a criminal investigation.