Federal judge awards $440,000 in lawsuit involving Sisseton Police Department, other law enforcement agencies
KWAT
September 17, 2020
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A federal judge has approved legal settlements totaling $440,000 for people in South Dakota who were subjected to forced catheterizations to check for drug use.
U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange ruled in April that police who used forced catheterizations violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures.
The state Highway Patrol, individuals officers, and the cities and police departments of Wagner, Pierre and Sisseton were sued.
The ACLU of South Dakota and a Rapid City lawyer filed the case on behalf of people suspected of drug use who were subjected to forced catheterizations to obtain urine samples.
