911 Operator Hid Camera In Precinct Urinal

FEBRUARY 10--A 911 dispatcher hid a small camera inside a urinal at a Pennsylvania police precinct and surreptitiously recorded several cops “in varying stages of undress with exposed genitals,” according to a criminal complaint.

In late-December, an officer with the North Versailles Police Department in suburban Pittsburgh was using the restroom “when he noticed an odd item attached to the inside upper left corner of the urinal.”

Upon inspection, the item turned out to be a 1.5 inch camera with an attached SD card. The camera had been “wrapped in a white sheath with the outer portion of the camera lens painted in white,” apparently so that it would blend in with the porcelain urinal (to which it was attached by Velcro).

When the camera was discovered on December 31, “all officers present at the station went to the bathroom to look at the item,” detectives reported.

It was at this time that John Logan, a 49-year-old 911 operator, announced that he had to “use the restroom immediately.” Access to the single occupancy bathroom is restricted to law enforcement personnel. Logan subsequently “flushed the toilet and exited the bathroom” after spending several minutes inside.

“At that point, the camera was collected, and officers noticed the SD card was now missing,” the complaint states.

When questioned about the camera, Logan reportedly admitted that he “touched and squeezed” the device, but denied removing the memory card. Asked why he would touch evidence without a gloved hand, Logan, cops say, replied, “Stupidity.”

A search last month of Logan’s residence turned up a mini camera identical to the one discovered in the precinct urinal. Flash drives found in Logan’s bedroom contained multiple videos of North Versailles police officers using the precinct bathroom while “in varying stages of undress with exposed genitals.”

Detectives were able to make positive identifications of three victims, each of whom was unaware that they had been secretly recorded.

Logan yesterday was charged with evidence tampering and three counts of invasion of privacy. (2 pages)