40-7-119 - Strip searches restricted. - Tennessee Statutes

40-7-119. Strip searches restricted.

(a)  As used in this section, “strip search” means having an arrested person remove or arrange some or all of the person's clothing so as to permit a visual inspection of the genitals, buttocks, anus, female breasts or undergarments of the arrested person.

(b)  No person arrested for a traffic, regulatory or misdemeanor offense, except in cases involving weapons or a controlled substance, shall be strip searched unless there is reasonable belief that the individual is concealing a weapon, a controlled substance or other contraband.

[Acts 1982, ch. 759, § 1; T.C.A., § 40-828.]