An unidentified male cop in the notorious Brooklyn South Narcotics unit allegedly took personal photos of a female drug suspect during multiple, unauthorized strip searches. Claudia Bova, 23, was arrested in a Coney Island drug sweep in June 2007, and taken to a building in downtown Brooklyn for booking. The officer allegedly told Bova he would have to perform a body search because there were no female officers available, in violation of an NYPD policy prohibiting cross-gender searches. Bova claims he led her to the bathroom and ordered her to lift up her shirt, "shake out her bra" and pull down her pants, according to court papers obtained by the Daily News. But it didn't end there!
Once the cop got a good look at her, he only wanted more, Bova claims. After taking her back to an interview room, the officer allegedly said he noticed a tattoo below her navel he needed to photograph for—"identification purposes," of course. So Bova says she had to go back to the bathroom and pull her pants down again so the cop could take a picture (which would last longer). But it didn't end there, either: "After some time passed, the officer returned and explained the district attorney was demanding that he search [Bova] again," the complaint says. "The officer explained the photos he had taken earlier of her tattoo did not come out well and he would probably come back again to take more photos."
He allegedly took more shots with his cell phone camera, for total coverage. Sources tell the News that a surveillance camera caught the cop taking her into the bathroom. Bova subsequently pleaded guilty to the drug charges and is in a treatment program. She's also, naturally, suing the city. "This scared, isolated girl was victimized by the officer," her lawyer declares. "This lawsuit gives her the voice she didn't have that day."
