Lawsuit: Puyallup jail recorded nude women after DUI arrests

PUYALLUP, Wash. — Police in Puyallup are accused of video recording DUI suspects in a jail bathroom with the jail’s surveillance cameras.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday by Seattle attorney James Egan, who is representing multiple DUI suspects. He said it appears attractive women were being video recorded more than others.

Egan distributed redacted images from the surveillance cameras Thursday. Capt. Scott Engle of the Puyallup Police Department calls the suit completely baseless. Cameras in jails are standard operating procedure, and are there strictly for the security of the people in the jail, including the inmates, he said.

One of the women became suspicious when a jail guard noted that she didn’t take off her underwear. Two of the victims spoke with KIRO 7’s Deborah Horne, who is working on the story for Eyewitness News beginning at 5 p.m.

Egan became curious about a pattern with Puyallup DUI suspects and requested the video through public disclosure. Multiple women did not initially realize they had been video recorded.

Engle said men and women are only directed to undress in the cells where there are cameras when the jail is busy and someone is already using the more private area behind the curtain.

Puyallup City Attorney Kevin Yamamoto said the lawsuit only came about because lawyer James Egan was “trolling” for sympathetic people to use as plaintiffs for his own financial gain. He called Egan’s Public Disclosure Requests for the more than 60 videos he saw basically frivolous.

Both sides are eager to take this to trial.

Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.

KIRO