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."
Thank you for your thoughtful post. As you point out, the wide wide internet has a number of characteristics (multi-jurisdictions, anonyminity (sp?), etc.) that provide both protection of privacy and problems for law enforcement in the various jurisdictions.
As to your point above, I find the line pretty clear in the case of the photographer. The line is the law, as writen and codified and enforceable. As soon as he breaks the law, haul his butt away. The trouble I have in this case is that he was doing something that some folks maybe thought should be against the law, but wasn't. If these people can convince a majority of their reps to pass such a law, and it passes Constitutional muster, so be it. If they can't muster the support of their reps, then the photog should not be ejected, arrested, asked to move along, or have any manner of "authority"bother him. Otherwise it's the gov't/society that is stepping over the line. I can't believe that people here can't see that line.
Not pointing at you, but I am continually surprised at the people who, on this supposedly conservative and law abiding web site, where we expouse the "rule of law" how many will quickly become a JBT to force their own views on others. In your case, you seem to be studying the issues, and I may assume that you are lobbying, educating, advocating or whatever to get laws passed to advance your cause of protection of children. Good on you. That's the way it is supposed to be done in our republic.
Take care,
Thank you RP2, thank you.
Hey Kevin, what's the matter? Has my little terrier got bigger balls that you do? Hell's belle's, my neutered cat has more balls that you.
Let's add to backbiting to the list of your best qualities, eh?
A little freedom for yourself scares you; freedom for others makes you roll over and pee your belly.
God Almighty gave man the choice to obey and serve or not to do so. Yet you place yourself in God's place to make choices for others without their consent. You and Lucifer have several similar traits, it seems.
Keep comparing marxism to libertarianism. Doesn't bother me, in fact I like it when you do that.
There's those that talk about freedom and those that do. You don't even talk about freedom. I'm scheduled to go to the Persian Gulf next week to support the troops. Don't worry, it's not your rights and freedoms that I'm going to help defend, it's all the REAL Americans for whom I will be serving. Screw you.
Well, little buddy, that's about all I have to say to you for now.
In truth most people instinctively realize that libertarian "freedom" is the Hobbesian freedom of the life of a feral dog--nasty, brutish, and short.
I suspect that even some of the libertarians eventually come to realize it.
The moral ones get well.
Believe it.
A key test of temperature of these threads is to count the number of posts removed by the Admin Moderator in the initial page of fifty.
I believe this one had two. That would make it "medium rare"
A Representative Constitutional Republic is not for wimps. Only the strong need apply.
Best regards,
Freaking police state! Were they in the locker room?
Thank you for your insight. Cut and posted to the refrigerator door.
Best regards,
A friend of mine works in television as a cameraman. He does dozens of sporting events for ESPN, etc., every year, football to soccer, you name it. I've seen the "outakes" of his and many other cameraman's shots. What do you suppose they are focusing on when their camera isn't being used for a current "live" shot?"
But as long as you're young, married, and have kids attending that school, bring your video camera and drool all you want!
At least with a 74 year old guy, the cheerleaders won't have any problem fighting off unwanted attention.
I'm still trying to figure out what cheerleading has to do with education provided at the expense of my tax dollars.
They want to show off for young stud muffins and tv people, while banning "DOM" from the building.
They can have special posing time for photos.
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