We have no idea who put that thing there. Why they were doing it, it's a mystery to us. We can't see any purpose. – BYU Police Lt. Arnold Lemmon
PROVO — Police are investigating after BYU professors discovered a voice-activated recorder hidden in a classroom in the Joseph Smith Building.
The recorder was found about two weeks ago attached to the bottom of a stool with Velcro, BYU Police Lt. Arnold Lemmon said. Similar Velcro setups were found on stools in several other classrooms.
Police have been investigating ever since but so far have no leads.
"We have no idea who put that thing there," Lemmon said. "Why they were doing it, it's a mystery to us. We can't see any purpose."
Lemmon described the recorder as a small, digital device that was easily concealed. Investigators were unable to review much of what had been recorded because the audio was inadvertently erased when the recorder was found, and fingerprinting is out of the question due to the number of people who handled the device before it was handed over to police.
Utah law requires that only one person present be aware they are being recorded, Lemmon explained. If no one in the room knew the recording was happening, it was illegal.
Police are stumped as to why someone would want to record the goings-on in a classroom, Lemmon said. They would be more concerned if the recordings had been taken in an office or a private setting.
Investigators hope to find whoever placed the recorder in the classroom so they can determine what they were trying to capture and why, Lemmon said.
William Hamblin, who teaches history at BYU, posted about the audio recorder last week on the faith-based Patheos blog.
"If anyone at BYU wants to hear what I say in the classroom, they don't need to attach a voice-activated recorder under the classroom teacher's chair with velcro. Feel free to put the recorder on the table. I'll even start it for you. Or you can sit in on my class. All are welcome. Or, for that matter, you can listen to classroom recordings I have made myself. Really, there is no need to go to the expense of buying a voice-activated recorder, sneak it in the classroom at night, and surreptitiously tape it under the chair. I'm serious. You don't need to do that."
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