Cop who told couple to strip used wrong technique

News item: An Illinois State Trooper is on trial on felony charges of bribery and official misconduct for allegedly ordering a 22-year-old man and 18-year-old woman to strip as an impromptu punishment for several offenses, including underage drinking.

A Daley Show investigation into the matter shows that the officer is on shaky ground. According to the Official Illinois State Police Guide to Impromptu Punishments, copyright 2001, here are some punishments that may be used (note that full nudity is not listed):

THE ATTENTION GRAB: The officer forcefully grabs the shirt front of the driver he pulled over and shakes. New Jersey, the only state to have openly debated coercion of prisoners, declared this illegal in 1987, but the Illinois Supreme Court ruled it OK in 1999.

THE ATTENTION SLAP, also known as THE BITCH SLAP: Officers may deliver "an open-handed slap," which is "aimed at causing pain and triggering fear."

THE BELLY SLAP: A hard open-handed slap to the stomach. The aim is to cause pain, but not internal injury. Doctors advised against using a punch, which could cause the detainee to puke up all the alcohol he drank earlier.

STANDING FOR HOURS: This technique is described as among the most effective. Drivers are forced to stand, handcuffed and with their feet shackled to a ring bolt in the floor for more than 40 hours. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation are claimed to be effective in yielding confessions of not using turn signals and driving slowly in the left lane.

COLD TREATMENT: The prisoner is left to stand outside in winter, and constantly doused with cold water. Misapplication of this technique is blamed for the death of a detainee on I-88.

WATERBOARDING: The prisoner is bound to a board, head slightly below the feet. Plastic is wrapped over his face and water is poured over him, or his head is lowered into a bath. The gag reflex is automatic; few can endure more than a matter of seconds.