Prince George’s County police say ‘no charges’ in school’s hidden camera case
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - After nearly three years, and more than 15,000 hours of video, Prince George’s County police say there will be no charges in connection with a hidden camera that was discovered inside the principal’s office at Charles H. Flowers High School.
The State’s Attorney’s office decided back in October 2018 that they would not pursue any criminal charges.
FOX 5 has been requesting information on this case since the camera was discovered. After numerous inquires by Reporter Lindsay Watts, police provided their first update on the case since 2018 on Friday.
EXCLUSIVE: 3 Prince George's Co. school employees file lawsuit after hidden camera found in school
The camera, which employees say was disguised as a smoke alarm, was discovered in Flowers Principal Gorman Brown’s office in April 2018. Brown was working elsewhere in the district and there was a female resident principal working in the office at the time.
PGPD confirmed that the camera was authorized and installed by school district staff in 2016.
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“Detectives learned that three employees discussed and approved the installation in order to investigate two anonymous allegations against the employee. Without authorization or knowledge by PGCPS leadership, the camera was installed July 29, 2016 by school security and was forgotten at the conclusion of that investigation. The employees who approved the installation have since either separated from the system or been assigned to new roles,” said PGPD in a statement Friday.
Police say they were assisted by the FBI Baltimore Field Office and scoured through more than 15,300 hours of video footage recorded over a two-year span. The video had no audio, according to police.
“The camera was unable to confirm the anonymous allegations against the employee, nor was there evidence of any criminal behavior observed in the footage. The footage did include one instance of consensual teenage sexual relations in the unoccupied office; investigators notified the students’ parents,” police said.
In October 2018, Brown and two other Flowers employees filed a lawsuit claiming that the school system broke state and federal law by installing a hidden surveillance camera.
The lawsuit says not only did the staff members and their kids occasionally use the office to change clothes, but so did students on the Flowers Pom and Dance Team.
The principal's office is part of a larger suite that includes a bathroom and shower, according to the lawsuit.
Police said in their statement “there is no expectation of privacy inside a public school building.“
According to court records, the employees’ lawsuit filed against the school district is still pending.