Bathroom Surveillance in Bar Against the Law? Calif. Restaurateur Says It's Just to Stop Vandals
CHICO, Calif. (CBS/KHSL) Can you expect privacy in a bathroom?
Customers of Panama's Bar and Cafe in the Northern California community of Chico are complaining about the placement of cameras in the bathrooms, and police say it might be against the law, reports CBS affiliate KHSL.
One man told police that in early December he noticed an employee at the bar watching a live video feed from inside a bathroom, and his girlfriend happened to be in there at the time, according to KHSL.
Business owner Robert Mowry told the station the camera was installed to prevent vandalism in the restrooms, and that nobody has ever been shown in any compromising position. In a fax to the station, Mowry said, "No whole person was visible while using the toilet or urinal. Cameras were mounted with the least amount of intrusion on a person's privacy, exposing no more than the left side of the knee."
However, Chico Police Sgt. Rob Merrifield said, "If the motivation is to prevent vandalism, I'm not sure that that negates people's expectation of privacy in a bathroom."
The camera was mounted inside a fake smoke detector in the restroom. A second camera was found in a downstairs bathroom.
Mowry says he has captured eight people vandalizing his restrooms since the cameras were installed, and that the surveillance combined with a new I-D system at the front door are designed to make customers feel safer.
Despite Mowry's intentions, police say he may have broken the law. Sgt. Merrifield said, "It is a misdemeanor to put a camera in a place such as a restroom, a dressing room, (or) changing room, where the public has a reasonable expectation of privacy."
Mowry has apologized to customers, saying, "[we] hope that you can forgive our actions."