WASHINGTON — Prince George’s County police said a video-recording device was found in an administrative office of a Maryland school building on Monday.
In a news conference Monday night, Prince George’s County police Chief Hank Stawinski wanted to stress that the device was not found in a locker room or bathroom, and that because of the nature of the work at the office, it’s unlikely that the device captured secret images of children.
The device was found Monday morning by the person who works in the office, and police are considering that person a victim. They would not name the victim and also did not specify where exactly the victim’s office was located.
“This device in the context of this environment stands alone. We don’t believe that there are similar devices in similar environments in school buildings,” Stawinski said
Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Kevin Maxwell, who was also at the news conference, said that he contacted the police chief as soon as he learned about the discovery of the device.
Police have only had the video-recording device for a few hours and could not say exactly what was on it, but Stawinski said that it could be accessed remotely and that it was placed “deliberately hidden” for at least several months.
“We believe that it was placed to gather information,” Stawinski said, but could not say for what goal.
Police do not know who placed the device in the office, and it’s unclear if the video-recording device could also record audio.
“I don’t have conclusions,” Stawinski said. He added that the department’s public corruption squad is investigating.
