Women Learned Their Jail Strip Searches Were Recorded

September 10, 2026

After a La Plata County Jail commander in Colorado allegedly accessed strip-search videos of 117 incarcerated women over 3,000 times across five years for inappropriate purposes, survivors organized to advocate for legislative reform. Women like Suzanne Garcia and Katrina Lile, who discovered years after their release that their strip-search recordings had been improperly viewed, worked with advocacy organizations and state representatives to draft new legislation. The resulting law, signed in May by Governor Jared Polis, establishes stricter guidelines for when jails can conduct strip searches, requires notification when searches are recorded, mandates written approval and logging for accessing videos, and includes whistleblower protections.

Who is affected

117 incarcerated women whose strip-search videos were allegedly improperly viewed by Edward Aber
Suzanne Garcia (arrested in 2020, held in La Plata County Jail)
Katrina Lile (released from county jail four years before notification)
Edward Aber (La Plata County Jail commander facing 117 counts of invasion of privacy and one count of official misconduct)
People incarcerated in Colorado jails (subject to new strip-search regulations)
Incarcerated people throughout the United States (subject to strip searches as standard practice)
Connecticut incarcerated people (estimated 355,000 strip searches performed in 2024)

What action is being taken

Edward Aber's criminal trial is scheduled (pushed to November from the original August 10 date)
The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault is monitoring implementation of the new law and reviewing data collected by jails
The Sexual Violence Prevention Association is working toward a nationwide campaign to pass similar legislation in other states using four pillars: research, policy, coalition building, and public education

Why it matters

This legislation addresses what advocates characterize as state-sanctioned sexual violence through the pervasive use of strip searches in correctional facilities, which are performed far more frequently than the public realizes—often hundreds of times per year per person and even between building transfers or before family visits. The case reveals systemic vulnerabilities where recordings intended for security purposes can be exploited, with victims discovering abuse years after their incarceration. The law establishes crucial safeguards including notification requirements, access controls with written approval and logging, and clearer parameters limiting when strip searches can be conducted, while providing accountability mechanisms through whistleblower protections. Beyond Colorado, this represents a potential model for nationwide reform of practices that affect hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people annually, particularly given limited evidence that strip searches are more effective than alternatives like body scanners for detecting contraband.

What's next

Edward Aber's criminal trial is scheduled to begin in November
The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault plans to monitor implementation of the law and review data collected by jails to inform potential legislation for state prisons
The Sexual Violence Prevention Association aims to launch a nationwide campaign to pass similar legislation in other states

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint