Ashley Steele says she was the designated driver on April 29, 2010, when San Diego Police Officer Anthony Arevalos pulled her over. She says she passed both a Breathalyzer and field sobriety test, but that Arevalos decided to search her for "contraband," touching her breasts and buttocks and placing his hand "on top of her vagina." He then handcuffed her and took her to a police station, where she said she needed to use the bathroom. She alleges that he then took her to the bathroom himself, shut the door, and watched her urinate. Then he allegedly drove her to another station for booking, all the while asking if her breasts were real and if she had a boyfriend.

Steele wasn't the only one. Last year Arevalos was sentenced to almost nine years in prison for multiple counts of sexual assault and battery — most of which took place at DUI stops. Now some of Arevalos's accusers say the San Diego Police Department knew about his behavior the whole time — and one of their attorneys says this pattern is repeating itself across the U.S. The Arevalos case, says attorney Mary Prevost, who represents another of his accusers, identified only as Jane Roe, is "a microcosm of what's out there in everybody's neighborhood." Advances in technology, like camera phones and webcams, are leading to a growing awareness that "a lot has been swept under the rug for a long time," she says.

She may be right. Last year, two Chicago police officers were charged with sexual assault for having sex with a 22-year-old woman in their police car and at her home — she said she was too afraid to say no. In February, Pittsburgh police officer Adam Skweres was arrested for allegedly offering to fix women's legal problems in return for sexual favors. A Santa Fe police officer with a history of stalking allegations was recently caught on camera masturbating in his police car. And earlier this month, Philadelphia police officer Anthony Dattilo was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a motel room — she had texted family members that she was being held against her will, and when police arrived at the hotel, Dattilo was allegedly naked and fondling her. In many cases of police misconduct, departments have been slow to respond to citizens' complaints.