Location: Southern California.
I had my first experience with handcuffs - got a DUI this morning. Luckily no injuries, but I was detained for about 15-16 hours total. While in handcuffs, immediately upon entering the booking building, the female officer grabbed my boobs, and went under my bra. No warning, and it caught me off guard. I flinched and backed up, automatic reaction. Well, she was searching me (again no verbal warning) and assumed I was resisting. She got aggressive, turned me around and put one hand on my back and the other on the back of my head and slammed my head into the wall, then she tackled me to the ground and repeatedly shoved my head into my own puddle of blood. I went to the hospital and have multiple nasal fractures.
I asked for a lawyer multiple times, mostly for that incident- I’m an idiot and taking full responsibility of the DUI. But I was cooperative outside of the one hesitation, which I felt like was a normal human response to being groped. They never granted me a lawyer during the entire 15-16 hour detainment. One cop even said to me “you watch too much TV” as he slammed the car door shut before we went to the hospital.
I just got out. What grounds do I have to stand on on when it comes to holding the sheriff’s office accountable for breaking my nose while handcuffed, and then denying me a lawyer?
I’ve already taken pictures of my injuries.