The Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) urges the Payne County Sherriff and District Attorney to take action to prevent and address state sexual violence. Since 2024, two Stillwater, Oklahoma community members were affected by police misconduct, including alleged unconstitutional strip searches. The SVPA stands with the survivors, and calls on the Sheriff and District Attorney to request an independent investigation of misconduct within the department.
Stillwater Police Department (SPD) has a documented pattern of misconduct regarding strip searches. In 2024, a woman filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Stillwater and SPD alleging an unlawful strip search while in custody. She describes being stripped naked in front of male officers and left unclothed inside a jail cell following her arrest. The case was settled in March 2026 and she was awarded $2.55 million.
In April 2026, one month after the 2024 case was settled, another woman filed a lawsuit against the department alleging an unlawful arrest, denial of medical care, and an unconstitutional strip search. The lawsuit alleges male officers participated in the strip search and that the woman was restrained, visually impaired, and forced to remove her clothing despite no indication that she had contraband.
The lawsuit states that the strip search was punitive and that officers violated her constitutional protections from use of excessive force and unreasonable government searches. It further alleges that the city has failed to properly train and supervise officers on the constitutional standards that govern strip searches and treatment of detainees. The lawsuit is seeking damages of at least $75,000 and the case remains in early stages.
Strip searches are state-sanctioned sexual violence. They are nonconsensual sexual acts performed by government agents under threat of force or harm. Strip searches are also a common place of additional sexual misconduct, called state-tolerated sexual violence. This is when government agents commit sexual violence and the government allows it to happen by ignoring reports, silencing survivors, and averting accountability.
The two lawsuits in Oklahoma are state-sanctioned and state-tolerated sexual violence. Strip searches are inherently state-sanctioned sexual violence. The degrading and unlawful nature of these cases also constitutes state-tolerated sexual violence due to the presence of male officers during the searches, the clear lack of training for officers, and the absence of accountability.
“Safety and dignity are not in conflict. Our government has no justification for allowing officers to sexually assault people,” said Julia Ubertini, Advocacy Associate with the SVPA. “Strip searches are traumatic, unnecessary, and, as these cases show, exploited as sites for state-tolerated sexual violence. We stand with all people who face unconstitutional arrests and strip searches.”
The second lawsuit was filed about two months after the first case’s settlement was determined. This demonstrates that when a person knows their rights, it is easier for them to identify when those rights have been violated and seek justice. These cases can pave the way for other survivors to identify state sexual violence and to hold the government accountable.
“We are proud to stand alongside victims and the Stillwater community demanding accountability and reform from the Stillwater Police Department,” said Omny Miranda Martone, Founder and CEO, of the SVPA. “Strip searches don’t bring safety. Even if they worked, you can’t justify actively harming someone as a means to prevent potential harm in the future. There is no justification for state sexual violence.”
The SVPA urges Payne County Sheriff Joe Harper and Acting District Attorney Jose Villarreal, to request that the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation (OBI) investigate all allegations of misconduct within the department, and to meaningfully put systems in place to better prevent state sexual violence.
These letters are the latest in SVPA’s nationwide campaign to Stop Strip Searches and address state sexual violence. The SVPA has successfully passed legislative reform in Colorado, Connecticut, California, Montana, and Idaho. The organization has also urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to maintain vital protections under the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
“Now, we’re calling on Oklahoma to take action against state sexual violence. Our governments have a duty to protect their citizens, not sexually assault them,” said Martone. “We stand with the brave survivors who have come forward in these cases.”
