An arrest nearly two years ago of a man in New South Wales for allegedly using his cellphone to record so-called “upskirt” videos of women on a train platform wound up rocking the halls of one of Sydney’s oldest schools. After the arrest was made, police identified the suspect as Robert Emmett, a 36-year-old teacher…
This message needs to be spread far and wide: People in the United States have the right to videotape the actions of government employees in public spaces. As I noted in an earlier post, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania has published a useful summary of the rights of citizens to record interactions with…
The motto of the Providence, RI police department is “Semper Vigilans,” which translates as “always watchful,” or “always on watch.” It’s a encouraging slogan for the city’s police department, but apparently one that doesn’t apply to the city’s residents. Earlier this month, The Providence Journal reported on allegations by John Prince that city police officers…
On Sunday, the LA Times reported, police in Napa, California arrested Julian Vargas, 29, on charges “of transmitting harmful material with intent to seduce a minor, as well as contacting a minor with intent to send harmful material.” The charges stemmed from a report by a 16-year-old female junior varsity soccer player, who told police…
The parents of a 12-year-old girl at the South Allegheny Middle School in McKeesport, PA discovered a series of disturbing texts on their daughter’s cell phone. The sender turned out to be 23-year-old Cole McLaughlin, a first-year social studies teacher at the school. According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, McLaughlin wrote to…
