Focus is on photographer with an eye for cheerleaders

Omaha.com ^ | 02.06.03

[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."

[Luis Gonzalez]

All those guys with cameras? Get their film too!

I'll make sure it never sees the light of day again!

[CharacterCounts]

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.

So they are passing around photos of the man and implying he is a pervert.

Theyr'e getting awfully close to a lible action.

[Luis Gonzalez]

(is it just me, or is no one taking a picture of the guy?)

[GhostofWCooper]

What guy?

[Arkinsaw]

There are a lot of sickos out there. I don't blame these parents and grandparents for wanting to protect their girls.

I don't blame them either. But that has nothing to do with what the government can and cannot legally do about people taking legal pictures at a public event. Just because you wish something does not mean that the government has the authority to do your bidding.

[mamelukesabre]

That is really pathetic.

I don't know what's worse, the fact that some idiot is doing this, or the fact that some idiot is trying to make this idiot's actions illegal.

dumb and dumber

[Arkinsaw]

There are adult websites that cater to cheerleader fetishists. In fact some men will sit there and try to snap pics of them while they're kicking in effect getting crotch shots.

Yes there are. And if this person posts derogatory photos of people without permission in a scandalous manner on one of them THEN there might be some recourse in the judicial system.

But we don't have pre-cogs or a bureau of pre-crime as much as some people may want them.

[Luis Gonzalez]

The one doing the Grande Jette.

[Poohbah]

I winced when I looked at that guy. That had to SMART...

[Cultural Jihad]

If the good people of Lincoln considered his behavior disruptive then they have every right to escort him to the door.

[Arkinsaw]

For common sense you might look at yarddogs post in #19 on thread. About the most sensible post on the thread.

[Luis Gonzalez]

My bad, that wasn't a Grande Jeté at all, that was an Arabesque.

[Poohbah]

(wince)

[Arkinsaw]

If the good people of Lincoln considered his behavior disruptive then they have every right to escort him to the door.

Actually not. Their government does not have the authority to decide that just anything and everything it wants is disruptive. I realize you don't like that, but its the truth. Government is bound by chains of law in this country. The good people of Lincoln could be very surprised in the pocketbook if someone ever takes them to court for tossing them out of a public event just for taking photographs.

[Cultural Jihad]

YOU are the gd enemy. Have I told you yet today how much I loathe you?

Excuse me ??

[jwfiv]

From Cheech & Chong's first album.

I bought some Firesign Theater last year...so good to hear that old stuff again...)

[Howlin]

Lighten up, Francis.

[plain talk]

Hardly. Just your basic legalistic thinking with a dose of contrarian thrown in for good measure. If you had a 17 year old daughter you might understand (or you might not I suppose by today's standards). By that reasoning it's OK for Michael Jackson to sleep with little boys, right? He hasn't broke a law, has he? This is the legalistic dumming down of America that scares me. Rules-based, no common sense.

[T. Jefferson]

Looks like there going to have to empty the entire stands
at every Anna Kournikova match. You can be sure there's
alot of butch women in there too.

[mathurine]

If they know how old he is and have his photograph and are offended or distressed about whatever he is doing, has it occurred to them to ask him to stop it. Maybe he would.