E-mail from Indiana Senator Tom Wyss:
Wyss’ bill closing loophole in Indiana’s voyeurism law clears House committee
(April 19, 2011) – A key House committee recently voted to advance legislation prohibiting criminals from taking inappropriate photos or video of unsuspecting Hoosiers in public places – an existing loophole in Indiana’s voyeurism law.
Members of the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code voted 12-0 on Monday, sending the measure crafted by State Sen. Tom Wyss (R-Fort Wayne) to the full House of Representatives for further consideration.
Currently, state law prohibits taking inappropriate photos of a person without his or her consent in a private place – bath, dressing room, restroom and shower – but provides no protection for public places. Wyss said media reports of individuals using small video cameras attached to their shoes to view up the skirts of unsuspecting women and even children in public motivated him to craft this bill.
“It is critical lawmakers use the resources available to prevent criminals from taking obscene and damaging pictures or video of women and children in public places and escaping conviction,” Wyss said. “I believe this legislation will close the existing loophole so that these criminals can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Wyss said state law needs to keep pace with technology to help protect innocent individuals from such acts in the future.
Wyss said he first began work on the law after a 2009 incident in DeKalb County where the prosecution was unable to file a charge against the suspect, because the inappropriate photo of a 10-year old girl was taken in a public place.
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