A former jail commander in Colorado is facing both criminal charges and a federal lawsuit after allegedly watching strip search videos of more than 100 female inmates without a legitimate reason.
The proposed class action lawsuit, filed Wednesday, accuses Edward Aber, the former commander of the La Plata County Jail, of violating the privacy rights of at least 117 women. Three women are leading the lawsuit, alleging Aber’s actions amounted to sexual misconduct and that county officials failed to implement safeguards to prevent such abuses.
According to the complaint, Aber repeatedly accessed body camera footage of strip searches that were conducted by female deputies during inmate intake. The searches are meant to ensure new inmates are not concealing contraband. However, investigators say Aber accessed the videos thousands of times between February 2019 and July 2024 — often weeks or months after they were recorded, from his home or hotels, sometimes late at night.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) found that Aber logged in more than 3,000 times to review videos, with most labeled as strip searches. Some of the videos were later purged, raising the possibility that even more women were victims beyond the 117 identified.
In July 2024, Aber was placed on paid leave during an investigation into alleged sexual conduct with female inmates and harassment of sheriff’s office employees. Although that inquiry ended without charges, it triggered a deeper review of his computer use, which uncovered his repeated access to strip search footage. Aber ultimately resigned the same month.
Last month, Aber was charged with 117 counts of invasion of privacy for sexual gratification and one count of official misconduct, all misdemeanors. He has not entered a plea, and his attorney has not commented publicly.
The lawsuit also names La Plata County and the sheriff’s office, arguing that officials knew of Aber’s prior history of alleged misconduct yet still failed to monitor or restrict his access to sensitive videos. Plaintiffs claim the agencies violated their constitutional rights to privacy and protection against unreasonable searches.
Attorney Kevin Mehr, representing the women, acknowledged that strip searches are necessary for jail safety but stressed that there must be limits on how such invasive footage can be accessed. “Seeing this happen and thinking this could happen somewhere else really deteriorates the whole trust in the system,” Mehr said.
This case follows another lawsuit filed last month against La Plata County over the death of an inmate in 2023, in which deputies and nurses allegedly ignored his repeated pleas for help.
The new allegations add to growing scrutiny of the jail’s practices, highlighting concerns about oversight, accountability, and the protection of inmates’ rights in Colorado’s correctional facilities.
