Posted on 02/13/2003 6:50:23 PM PST by Coleus
Focus is on photographer with an eye for cheerleaders
BY STU POSPISIL
LINCOLN - Metro Conference athletic directors and the Nebraska School Activities Association will be watching their high school basketball sidelines more closely after Omaha police detained a 74-year-old man for training a camera on high school cheerleaders.
Omaha Marian Athletic Director Jim Miller said Wednesday that cheerleaders from his school became uncomfortable because of the man's apparent picture-taking at a Jan. 30 girls basketball game at Omaha South.
Miller said the girls alerted Marian's dean of students, who told South administrators. School officials called police, who interviewed the man. The man told authorities that he was a fan of Omaha Marian and Omaha Creighton Prep and was just there to observe the game.
Sgt. Dan Cisar said police took an information report, and the man was ordered to leave the building.
The girls later told Miller they had seen the man at other games.
The man could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
School officials have expressed concerns to the NSAA that if photographs of cheerleaders were taken, they could end up being sold to a Web site that contains pornographic or offensive material.
Copies of a photograph of the man, taken from South's video security monitoring system, were distributed this week at the Metro Conference's monthly meeting of athletic directors.
The man's photo also was sent to the NSAA because of its state basketball tournaments at various sites in Lincoln next month. The girls state tournament is March 6 through 8, and the boys tournament is March 13 through 15.
NSAA Assistant Director Jim Angele said copies of the photo have been forwarded to floor managers at the tournament sites in Lincoln.
"We hope this person won't show up at the state tournament," Angele said. "We'll have to police our sidelines more to make sure only those with credentials are there."
The NSAA does not have a uniform policy regarding the management of spectators at sporting events, other than to ask for good sportsmanship. The obligation to police spectators is left up to individual schools. That means school administrators can decide whether to prohibit admission to a particular spectator. It is common at events such as high school basketball games to see numerous school staff in attendance for the sole purpose of monitoring the crowd.
Miller said amateur photographers, such as family members, may be asked to provide identification if not recognized by officials of the host school.
"We're telling our workers that if they don't know somebody taking photographs, they may want to check it out," Miller said. "It's not a good situation for someone to be going to games and taking photos of cheerleaders only. It sends up a red flag."
If cheerleaders get upset with guys watching them or snapping their pictures, perhaps they should take to wearing burkas.
... thanks in large part to the moral-liberal industries making a profit off of licentiousness and perversion. If the people of a community don't want dirty old men paying too much improper attention to their minor daughters (or sons) then they have a right to discourage their actions.
In a sane America (pre-ACLU, pre-Woodstock, pre-LP and pre-MTV) this elderly man would have been given the bum's rush to the nearest trainyard for a one-way ride out of town.
I guess the old 'pervert' isn't alone...
The cheerleaders all wear the flashy plastic smile, to go along with their skimpy outfits.
The 'dirty old man' committed the crime of looking at pretty, vivacious girls while being old.
It's bulls--t.
How can his photographs contain different material than is being displayed openly to everyone. If there is something which he should not photograph then it should not be shown.
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