by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(March 19, 2008) When a librarian assistant in California caught a man viewing child pornography on a library computer and called police, she did not receive the accolades one would have expected. Instead, she was abruptly fired from her job.
The event occurred at a Tulare County library on Feb. 28 when Brenda Biesterfeld agreed to help a patron, Donny Lynn Chrisler, 39, transfer photos onto a CD on one of the library’s three public-use computers.
“Then a little later I noticed him acting strange,” Biesterfeld told Tim Sheehan of the The Fresno Bee. “And he had the screen turned into him.”
When she investigated more closely, she saw that his computer screen was filled with “a dozen or more pictures of nude blond boys, just showing everything,” she said. “I was just shocked.”
Having only worked for the library for six months, she immediately called her supervisor, Judi Hill, who told her to write the man a warning note. She was also to inform him that if he received a second warning, he would be banned from the library.
When Biesterfeld asked if she should contact police, Hill told her no, that “this is more common than you think” and that the library would handle it internally.
According to Tulare County officials, the instructions Biesterfeld was given apply to the handling of adult, not child, pornography being viewed on library computers. In the case of child pornography, which is a federal crime, police are to be contacted immediately.
The following day, Biesterfeld decided to go to police and report the incident.
On March 4, Chrisler returned to the library and was once again caught viewing child pornography. Biesterfeld called police. When officers arrived, they caught him at the computer, arrested him and placed him in the Tulare County jail where he remains in custody on $10,000 bail. Further investigation uncovered more child pornography in Chrisler’s trailer home.
According to Matthew Staver of Liberty Counsel, the law firm representing Biesterfeld, when police returned to the library to take possession of the computer, they were confronted by Judi Hill. She told them that law enforcement had no business interfering in the situation and that county librarians were handling the matter.
“Even after the police captain explained that a federal law had been violated, making it a legal matter to be handled by the police, Hill never offered to help,” Staver said in a press release.
“Instead she demanded to know who made the report. Police concealed Biesterfeld’s identity; but Hill claimed she knew it was Biesterfeld. Within twenty minutes, the Captain received a call from Biesterfeld saying that Hill had called and rebuked her for reporting the incident.”
Biesterfeld claims that Hill “kind of threatened me,” during that conversation. “She said I worked for the county and when the county tells you to do something, you do what the county tells you. She said I had no loyalty to the county. I told her I was a mother and a citizen also, and not just a county employee.”
Two days later, on March 6, she was terminated without explanation.
“The firing of Biesterfeld has outraged the Linsday community and has raised concerns over how the Library responds to the viewing of illegal child pornography on library property,” Staver said.
Liberty Counsel sent a letter to library officials demanding that she be reinstated. They are also demanding that the library change its policy to prevent the use of library property for illegal behavior, to establish a prompt reporting system, and to take measures to protect children. Mayor Ed Murray also sent a letter to the Tulare County Board of Supervisors asking them to take action.
“Child pornography is illegal under state and federal laws,” said Staver. “Brenda Biesterfeld had a moral and legal responsibility to report to police a library patron whom she observed viewing child pornography. It is outrageous that the Lindsay Branch Library fired Ms. Biesterfeld for reporting child pornography. Child pornography is a despicable crime against children. Our tax dollars should not be used to provide safe havens for sexual perverts who view child pornography.”
The incident is part of a deeper problem that pervades American libraries due to the radical policies of the American Library Association (ALA), one of the largest professional library associations in the world.
According to the Campaign for Children and Families, the ALA does not teach librarians to report child pornography to police. Instead, they have vigorously opposed all congressional efforts to restrict pornography, obscenity and child pornography for nearly a decade.
“The liberals who run the library system in America must stop violating the federal law because they regard child pornography as free speech,” said Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families.
“All pornography is immoral, but possession of child pornography is a federal crime. No librarian should fear reporting child pornography to the police, but libraries that fail to report these crimes should be very afraid. Brenda Biesterfeld will get her job back, and more.”
As for Biesterfeld, she does not regret her actions and would do the same thing again without hesitation.
“A lot of people say I should have won an award,” she told The Fresno Bee. “But I didn’t do this to be a hero; I did it because I love children and the safety of children comes first.”
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