Arrested Development
My right to privacy and freedom were taken Saturday as I was handcuffed, manipulated, frisked and interrogated.
Most people in Cache Valley probably wouldn’t spend two weeks calling the police station. Nor would they try to contact the proper authorities to set up a time for their arrest and booking in the county jail. I, on the other hand, did just that. Many people asked why, and I told them it was because my conscience finally got to me and I had to do my time.
Not really. I received my first speeding ticket two months ago and don’t plan on ever being that close to law enforcement again. I just wanted to see what it was like behind bars so I could inform others.
Sgt. Brian Locke picked me up at home Saturday afternoon and from there on out I was not myself anymore. I was now Mr. Moon, an aggressive person being charged with disruptive behavior and vandalism.
Standing in the parking lot to my apartment complex, Locke ordered me to put my hands on my head and proceeded to do a search of my person. I have never been frisked by an officer and really didn’t know what was in store. In the movies it always looks like they just give a light pat on your legs and sides and call it good. That wasn’t the case at all.
He reached his hands in my pockets freely to make sure I was truly just carrying keys and a wallet. Even with the charges being fictitious, I didn’t feel that he lightened up even a tiny bit.
Not only did the search force me out of my comfort zone, but the whole situation was quite embarrassing in another respect. Even though the arrest was fake, the people driving by in their cars and staring out their windows didn’t know it. I tried to imagine myself as a real felon and couldn’t get over how embarrassed I would be to really have to deal with that situation.
On the way to the jail, Locke defined the reasons for an arrest. He said a traffic ticket is technically an arrest that only requires payment later. Activities which require actually being booked include domestic disturbance, possession of illegal drugs, drunk driving, disruptive behavior or vandalism.
A garage door magically opened when we arrived at the jail and Locke pulled in. Before letting me out of his truck he emptied his belongings, including his gun, pepper spray and knife, into a locker on the wall.
Locke then led me up a few stairs to a steel door. The door slid open slowly, much like something out of a movie and closed again behind us.
We were met in the jail by Deputy James Astell who immediately started putting on latex gloves – not an encouraging image at all.
Thankfully the gloves were just for sanitary purposes and to keep his fingerprints off my belongings.
Although the inspection done in the jail didn’t include any cavity searches due to the nature of the crime, I still felt extremely violated.
With my hands up against a cement wall and my legs spread, Astell personally removed every object in my pockets and anything that might be dangerous to me or another person. This included unbuckling and taking off my belt which I wasn’t prepared for at all.
At one point I removed my hand from the wall to scratch my head. Whether out of reflex or to give me as real an experience as possible, the officer forcibly told me to put my hand back on the wall.
I was then escorted to a holding cell containing a cement bench and a stainless steel toilet where I stayed for 20 minutes or so. The deputies in the jail told me on an average night the wait in that cell would take four to six hours.
Astell asked a few questions during my wait to determine whether they could let me go soon or if I would have to wait to post bail. Because of my financial situation as a student and how long I have lived in Logan, they decided I would stay in the jail until someone else came with the money.
After my wait I stood, handcuffed to a counter, answering a myriad of questions ranging from my Social Security number to my sexual preference. I was amazed with the bluntness of the questions referring to suicide, drugs and behavior.
Deputy Kari Prescott, the officer in charge, asked all the questions and said most people answer honestly despite the personal nature.
“Most don’t care whether we know they are drug users or in a gang and a lot are proud of it,” she said.
The deputies in the jail get to know each of the criminals fairly well because most of the 63 inmates currently held at the county jail are repeat offenders.
“We see a lot of them quite often and even out on the street they sometimes treat us like we are friends,” she said.
One former inmate even refers to Prescott on a first-name basis and insists on a hug every time they see each other.
Even in their area of work, the officers said they rarely are disturbed by the things they see.
“You become callused,” Prescott said. “If you take this stuff home with you after work you’ll go crazy.”
Deputy Amber Eggleston said it is hard to see the people come back time after time.
“When they get out you hope they will make it this time. They are disappointed to be in here again and we are disappointed to see them again,” she said. “It’s sad though, because some won’t change no matter how many times they come back.”
I couldn’t help to think how sad it is that some of these people are inside the jail more than they are on the outside. After just 20 minutes in the holding cell I got claustrophobic and couldn’t imagine spending months or even days in the jail. The inmates have no privacy and every needless item can be taken from them while they are there.
Fortunately, I wasn’t forced to stay longer than was needed for the assignment. I was released to the outside world and given back my freedom and the privacy I desire.