A dispatcher with the North Versailles Police Department took photos and video of officers using a small hidden camera affixed to the urinal in the department restroom, according to charges against him.
John Logan, 49, is charged with invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence.
“Everyone is always innocent until proven guilty,” Logan’s attorney, Phil DiLucente, told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. “He has been a dedicated employee of North Versailles Township for over 20 years. He enjoyed his job and he was well-liked by the people he worked with.”
An employee in the department first noticed the camera Dec. 31, at which point North Versailles officers called Allegheny County Police detectives.
A criminal complaint filed in the case said the employee noticed the camera attached to upper left corner of the urinal and took a picture of the device. Other officers came to the bathroom, a single-person occupancy room with one stall and one urinal, and confirmed that it appeared to be a small camera painted white with an SD card sticking out of it.
Immediately after, police said, Logan said he “had to use the restroom immediately. Authorities said he was in there for two or three minutes, after which they heard the toilet flush. When North Versailles officers went back inside, they said the SD card was gone.
Questioned by detectives, Logan said he touched the camera while he was in the bathroom, which must have made the memory card fall out, according to the complaint. He said touching evidence without gloves was a result of “stupidity.”
A search of Logan’s North Versailles home turned up an identical camera and flash drives and SD cards, according to the complaint.
Investigators said at least one of the flash drives contained videos of several North Versailles police officers using the urinal and in various stages of undress.
Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the accused is a police dispatcher and not a 911 operator.
