Women Criminal Defense Attorneys: San Francisco Woman Defender Handcuffed Outside Court for Doing Her Job

There has been outrage in the defense community about a San Francisco public defender who was handcuffed and detained outside court for simply doing her job and representing her client. The video of the encounter is embedded below and I invite you to watch it if you haven’t seen it.

The public defender is attorney Jami Tillotson. Her boss, Jeff Adachi, immediately blasted the police deputy for his actions in the media and was quoted in the San Francisco Examiner as saying “This not Guantanamo Bay.” He continued, “If this happens to a public defender in front of her client, I can only imagine what is happening on our streets.”

When you watch the video is the clear that Tillotson is respectful and demonstrates professionalism while asserting her clients rights in reaction to what is obviously bullish police behavior. Tillotson demonstrates tremendous courage and defender spirit. Bravo to her and the San Francisco public defenders office for standing up against such blatant abuse.