When you move into new facilities or new offices, and when previous executives move out, get transferred, or (especially) fired, that is an important time to have your offices swept for possible surveillance devices.
The former president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago conveniently left behind a live covert video camera with remote access.
When Graham lost his bid for reelection, he promptly cleared out of his office. Three weeks later, after the new boss, John Catanzara, took over, the camera was found, still working.
A sweep of the entire building was then conducted.
“The issue was when I took over, he had an obligation to tell me, and he didn’t. It’s really that simple,” Catanzara said. “We’re talking about a past president of this lodge. This isn’t just an average policeman doing something silly and facing charges for this lodge. You’d expect someone who’s been and member of this department and lodge for so long to act above reproach.”
Graham told the Sun-Times the camera had been placed in the office, because things started going missing from his desk, and he said it was rigged to the rest of the building’s security, and that he never had access to the recordings during or after his time in office.
How would you handle this in your company? An important consideration is to establish clear policies for the use of any sort of surveillance device, and you may want to have TSCM sweeps conducted in your facilities on a regular basis. When an incident occurs, you should already know who you can call for professional assistance, and not have to rely on a frantic internet search for someone with just a flashy website who may not be trustworthy and who you may not be able to vet.
Read more:
Chicago Sun Times (June)
Chicago Sun Times (October)
CBS 2 News