West Virginia State Police have been accused of planting hidden cameras to spy on women, from active law enforcement officers to recruits training at the academy, some of whom were minors.

Two of the active West Virginia law enforcement officers involved in the civil suit, Brenda Lesnett and Megan Talkington, spoke with CNN’s Brynn Gingras for the segment that aired on The Lead with Jake Tapper with guest host Abby Phillip.

Lesnett and Talkington are two of around 70 women suing the department after an anonymous letter addressed to the state’s top lawmakers with the allegations was made public in February. Among the allegations of misconduct, which are said to have taken place over a 10-year period, are a hidden camera system set up in the women’s locker room and showers at the West Virginia Police Academy. Some of the possible victims are minors who took part in a junior program. Lesnett and Talkington said there could be “hundreds, if not thousands” of total victims.

Teresa Toriseva, an attorney representing the women in the suit, called the West Virginia State Police a “hostile, misogynistic, toxic environment that’s not just male-dominated, it’s anti-woman.”

Lesnett and Talkington told Gingras that even years after they went through their training after the academy, the knowledge that they were likely filmed without their consent haunts them:

Lesnett: I was shocked to hear that happened. I was completely appalled. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Sitting here today, I still feel exposed, and I’m constantly wondering who’s gonna see me next, who has already seen me? It’s very nerve-wracking.

Talkington: Am I gonna have to deal with this the rest of my life? Ten years from now, is this gonna show up on the Dark Web, on the regular web, I don’t know.

The state did not dispute the existence of the camera, and Governor Jim Justice (R) addressed the allegations in March following the anonymous letter:

There was three troopers that found a thumb drive. And absolutely from that, they found the video. And then, from what I understand, one, if not all, you know, immediately jerked the thumb drive out and threw it on the floor, and started stomping on it.

Lesnett and Talkington said they fear “retaliation” after speaking out against their employer and colleagues, with Talkington saying she and Lesnett “are going to have a target on our backs.”

Watch the full video via CNN.

The post Lawsuit Accuses West Virginia Police of Spying, Using Hidden Cameras on Women and Minors at Academy Over 10-Year Period first appeared on Mediaite.

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