ACLU Sues Moreno Valley Police Over Barbershop Busts

By Evan Mix

Published on April 14, 2009

In a federal lawsuit, the ACLU accuses the Moreno Valley Police Department, located in Riverside County, of civil rights violations in connection with a series of warrantless searches and interrogations perpetrated against five barbershops in the area. The owners of the shops were African-American.

The raids, which were allegedly completed under the guise of health code inspections, were conducted in company with health inspectors. Officers allegedly wore bulletproof vests and wielded guns. Owners and patrons were questioned, warrant checks were performed, and the premises were searched. One barber who protested was handcuffed and placed in the backseat of a patrol car. According to a spokesman for the ACLU, no evidence of criminal activity was uncovered.

The ACLU's lawsuit seeks compensatory damages as well as the establishment of policies designed to prevent racial profiling and limit law enforcement's role in health and other regulatory inspections. The Moreno Valley Police Department has declined to comment on the suit.

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