2 UI employees disciplined in baby monitor bugging case

necn.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A University of Iowa hospital supervisor abruptly left employment Thursday as the school announced it had disciplined two employees over a plan to use a baby monitor to listen to subordinates' conversations.

Pamela Snider, an office coordinator in the Department of Urology, no longer works for the university, UI Vice President for Strategic Communication Tysen Kendig said. He would not say whether she was one of the two employees disciplined in the case, saying those were confidential personnel matters.

AFSCME Local 12 President John Stellmach had filed complaints with UI Department of Public Safety and human resources officials alleging that Snider told department employees she hid a baby monitor in a secretarial work area to determine whether they were talking too much. Stellmach's complaints alleged department administrator Glenn Kell approved the device's use.

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UI investigates use of baby monitor on employees

chicagotribune.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa

The University of Iowa launched an investigation Tuesday after employees at a medical clinic complained their supervisors used a hidden baby monitor to eavesdrop and determine whether they were talking too much.

Department of Urology workers discovered the monitor hidden on a shelf in a secretarial work area Monday, and one complained to the university's ombudsperson and her union that they considered the monitoring without their knowledge a privacy violation, said AFSCME Local 12 President John Stellmach. An employee took photos showing the monitor turned on sitting next to a package of cotton balls.

The monitor picked up chatter by several secretaries and clerical workers, and the receiver was placed in a supervisor's office, said Stellmach, whose union represents 5,000 university employees. After it was discovered, a supervisor first played it off as a joke and then explained it was set up after another worker complained they were chatting too much and would be in place for a week, Stellmach said. But after employees complained, the monitor was removed later Monday. It was not clear how long it was in place.

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Woman accused of bugging ex-boyfriend's car seat

wqow.com

Eau Claire (WQOW) - Investigators believe a woman bugged a child's car seat to keep tabs on her ex-boyfriend.

Jamie Mesang is accused of duct taping a digital recorder underneath a car seat that belongs to her ex. Police say he became suspicious when Mesang started texting him about things she shouldn't have known about.

Eventually, he took apart his son's car seat and found the recorder. She's been charged with a felony and will be in court in March.

Midland police claim man hid baby monitor in neighbor's bedroom

mlive.com

MIDLAND — Authorities allege a Midland parolee hid a baby monitor under a dresser in his neighbor’s bedroom in order to spy on the couple.

Paul A. Rivard is charged with second-degree home invasion, larceny in a building, eavesdropping and aggravated stalking, according to reports.

Investigators also allege Rivard, 36, burned and buried clothing belonging to the neighbors, broke furniture and re-arranged items inside the house, according to reports.

The incidents allegedly occurred from August until November.

Rivard remains jailed on $250,000 cash or surety bond as he awaits a Jan. 4 pretrial conference before Midland County Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale, court records show.

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Now Hear This!

parade.com
For 51 years or so, I’ve been listening to conversations that are none of my business.

And may I just say: You people are fascinating.

My habit started when I was about 2. We lived in a house with a party line, a shared phone connection with several neighbors, not a reference to our nightly conga dances. We never had those. My parents jitterbugged. As for the party line, I’m told my mother would regularly gasp as if she’d just swallowed a wasp and then dive for the phone whenever she spotted wide-eyed me cradling the receiver. My goodness, the things people say when they think little ears aren’t listening. Made me quite the star at the coffee klatch. I’d interrupt my mother’s gossip extravaganza with a well-timed insight gleaned from my burgeoning career as a CIA mole, and she’d yank me into the kitchen for a lecture that started with “Young lady” and segued into, “Now, tell me exactly what she said.” By the time I was 6, I couldn’t help wondering why Mom didn’t just invite me to grab a cup of Maxwell House and pull up a chair. Clearly, I was in the loop.

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Video Baby Monitors Broadcast Images From Inside Homes

justnews.com
Video baby monitors can help parents keep watch over their children, but they also can allow strangers to see what's happening inside of homes.

When Coral Springs parent Allison Lindsey turned on her new video baby monitor, she had to do a double take. Instead of seeing her baby girl, Lindsey saw a boy."I saw my neighbor's boy in his crib," Lindsey said.The wireless camera system pointed at Lindsey's baby's crib was picking up images of 16-month-old Tyler next door.Both systems are on the same frequency. Lindsey said she had no clue when she set up the system that the signal would go beyond the walls of her home.She told Tyler's mom, Stacy Kass, who expressed shock."They don't come with any warnings. It never even crossed my mind," Kass said. "How many times I must have walked in there not dressed appropriately, never thinking for a second that anyone could see what was going on in our home. It's beyond creepy."

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