By Steve Neavling
A retired Los Angeles police officer alleged in a complaint filed against Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday that she was racially profiled, unlawfully arrested and sexual assaulted by an officer at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry last year.
Janine Bouey, 61, who is Black, said she was singled out while waiting in line at a pedestrian lane to re-enter the U.S. from Tijuana on June 16, 2020, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
In the complaint, she alleges she was escorted into the main building at the port, where a female CBP officer ordered her to stand against the wall with her legs spread. At that point, she says the officer penetrated her genitals through her clothing.
The officer sexually assaulted her several more times, she says, and even shoved a dog’s face between her legs.
“It was both shocking and frightening,” Bouey said. “It was the most frightening day of my life.”
She says she was later ordered to strip naked in a small room, where the officer beamed a flashlight into her genitals. The officer refused to let her talk to a supervisor, she alleges.
Bouey is requesting $3 million in compensation.
“If they’re doing this to a retired LAPD officer, they’re going to do this to a lot of people,” Bouey said.
CBP declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
