The University of Idaho Argonaut

Officials are close to naming suspects who posted pornography on Commons TVs

The UI investigation is “close” to naming suspects of those who broke into the Idaho Commons’ audiovisual room Nov. 13 and posted sexually explicit images on display screens in the building, said Mark Miller, the assistant director of operations of the Idaho Commons and Student Union Building. 

Commons surveillance cameras revealed faces of the perpetrators who broke into the audiovisual room on Nov. 13 and another day, Miller said. There were at least two perpetrators, he added.
“These guys put themselves on stage a couple of times,” Miller said. “They were in numerous camera shots, acting like they didn’t know we had cameras in place at all.”

The images the perpetrators posted replaced announcements on the four flat display screens on each floor of the commons for about 15 minutes until university officials turned them off.
The perpetrators were in the audiovisual room for different lengths of time, Miller said.
Officials are still examining the tapes.
”We are trying to make sure we have a complete record of them on both days,” he said. “We are working on piecing together the surveillance to see how the whole thing came off.”

Due to the many cameras in the building, it is going to take time to follow the perpetrators in the videos from the time they entered the building to when they entered the room, Miller said.  About 60 surveillance cameras are located throughout the Idaho Commons, he said.
Information can not yet be released about how the room was accessed.

The perpetrators are the only ones who know how the break-in was done, Miller said. 
The audiovisual room, on the fourth floor of the Commons, has been secured, Miller said.
“It is unfortunate that the money being spent on security is being used from student fees,” Miller said.

UI has offered to share the tapes with the Moscow Police, Miller said, however the tapes have not been picked up yet.
The police investigation will probably not end up being as thorough, Miller said, mainly because it is not a criminal situation that would require higher police involvement.
“It is going to be much more of a situation that will be handled between us and the people in the Dean of Students Office,” Miller said.

Miller will meet with representatives from the Dean of Students office by Wednesday.
There are a few leads that can be pursued, Miller said.
“It is just going to be hit or miss on some of this stuff,” he said.
Miller did not receive any phone calls or e-mails about the pornographic images.

Lt. Paul Kwiatkowski of the Moscow Police said the police haven’t viewed any of the videos. The police are willing to take any kind of input if anyone has any information, he said.
The punishment for the break-in will likely be unlawful entry, and computer crimes may also be attached to the punishment, Kwiatkowski said.