Jill Tinetti v. Lee Wittke, Sheriff Racine County, Jane Doe, a Racine County Matron Whose Name is Unknown, and County of Racine

Plaintiff-appellee Jill Tinetti brought this suit challenging the constitutionality of the defendants-appellants’ practice of strip-searching persons arrested for non-misdemeanor traffic offenses. The searches were conducted upon all such offenders who were detained overnight in the Racine County jail due to an unwillingness or inability to post bond before their initial appearance in court. 1 The searches were conducted despite the absence of any probable cause to believe that the detainees were concealing contraband or weapons on their bodies. The district court ruled that the appellants’…