Compromise Reached in Dispute Over Underwire Bras in Jail
After female attorneys in the Kansas City area made their outrage known for a policy that forced them to take off their bra before speaking face-to-face with their clients in jail if their underwire set off the metal detector has reached a compromise with the Jackson County Jail. The new policy will allow the women to be wanded or patted down.
After the jail rolled out a new security protocol in May, female attorneys carried signs and protested. Jail officials initially responded by offering to allow attorneys to have non-contact visits in which they talked to their clients by phones separated by glass without having to pass through metal detectors first. But the attorneys continued to push for change, saying such visits weren’t sufficient.
“All we ever wanted was to be able to meet with our clients the same way as men, and now we have been able to accomplish that,” said attorney Tracy Spradlin.
Spradlin commended the County Counselor’s Office and the sheriff for their work in resolving the issue, and she said she was thankful they didn’t have to bring a lawsuit against Jackson County. Spradlin said it was “no secret” that they would have gone that route.
“I’m thankful it didn’t come to that,” she said. “I think that would have been another waste of our time that we could have been meeting with clients and a waste of the county’s time for something that could be so easily resolved.”
Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté said in a statement that the jail and the sheriff’s office “are forward focused with no time to dwell on past issues.”
However, attorney Katherine Myers said the resolution doesn’t apply to jail employees. Myers represents Charlotte Hardin, a jail employee who worked for the county for 20 years. She was placed on indefinite leave after she removed her bra and sent it through the X-ray machine. Hardin has yet to return to work.
The new protocol for attorneys is still technically operating on a trial basis, but Spradlin said neither party has indicated any issues with the agreement.