The State Attorney's Office that covers Polk County has criticized a Lakeland Police officer for his method of searching a female for drugs.

State Attorney Jerry Hill wrote the Department saying Officer Dustin Fetz's request for Zoe Brugger to shake her bra to free any hidden drugs was 'demeaning.'

Hill went on to say the method used on the May 21 traffic stop was also ineffective and dangerous, according to Bay News 9's coverage partner, The Lakeland Ledger.

Hill's letter to Police Chief Lisa Womack said an investigation showed Fetz did not have a reason to ask for such a search.

During the stop, Fetz asked Brugger to lift her shirt, pull her bra away from her chest and shake it.

“He asked me if I had any drugs on me and I said no,” Brugger said. “And then he said, well pull out your pockets and turn them out and pull out your bra and shake it. I did it and he said to do it again, shake it and flip the under wire part out.”

Fetz asked Brugger to shake her bra a second time, and a search of her, her boyfriend and their car revealed no illegal items.

“The officer told me I was too nervous to not have anything on me,” she said.

Hill said other Lakeland officers had used the method and called it a "major training deficiency."

In a statement from Lakeland Police Chief Lisa Womack, she writes;

Given recent media stories about the Lakeland Police Department, I want to assure the citizens of the City of Lakeland that we take every allegation seriously and we are committed to your safety and the quality of life in Lakeland. We have a thorough process for investigating complaints of misconduct and we will investigate these and any other allegations we receive, swiftly and completely.

This department does not condone the alleged actions as have been reported in recent days and any officer proven to be involved in this type behavior will be dealt with accordingly, including possible termination. Full disclosure of findings will be made upon completion of our administrative investigation.

The Lakeland Police Department is a professional police department with quality officers dedicated to keeping our community safe.

The incident came to the State Attorney's attention after the Ledger posted a letter to the editor from Richard Wiley, a lawyer who knows Brugger.

“We were appalled by the events that we were told,” he said. “I would have never dreamed that police insensitivity would reach that level in the city of Lakeland.”

Womack ordered an internal investigation the day after the letter ran and Fetz went on paid leave for four days. He's been with the Department since 2008.

The Office found Fetz did have reason to stop Brugger on West Beacon Road because of her broken headlight. Investigators said the search violated her constitutional rights, but was not a criminal act.

The investigator said Brugger said she felt threatened and shouted for Fetz to stop as he searched the vehicle.

Fetz told the investigator the bra-shaking technique was well-known, but he was never formally trained to do it.

Brugger received a ticket and a notice to appear in court.

Officer Jeremy Williams, who later arrived at the scene, told the investigator he thought the search was improper.

The police dash-camera footage of the stop had no audio, which also violates police policy.