Keystone Intelligence Network, Inc. 

Illegal Wiretap Found On Coatesville School's Phone System

A sweep of the of the phone system at the Coatesville school district administration in February uncovered an illegal wire tap.

By Allen Davis
Tuesday, 14 May 2002
http://chestercountyreporter.com/PhonesTappedCASD.html Staff Writer

Keystone Intelligence Network out of Philadelphia conducted the sweep at the request of Superintendent Dr. James Scarnati and Brenda Haws, the district's chief financial and operations officer.

"During the Countermeasure Survey, a unauthorized device set-up was discovered in the main telecommunications control room . . . this connection serves no legitimate need for existence," the report said.

Scarnati said he is taking the illegal wiretap seriously. "It represents that something was going on and we should do further study on it," he said.

It is illegal in Pennsylvania to record private telephone conversations without both parties being informed the conversation is being recorded.

According to the report, two modular RJ-45 connection blocks were connected in series and wired into the main telecommunications control panel. Written on one block was the word record with the extension 4100/4290.

"Considering there is a direct phone connection in existence for communication in the telephone control room, this connection serves no legitimate need for existence.

"Upon further examination and verification, it was found that the connection was set to be able to connect a telephone, recorder as designated or any other optional associated device," concludes the report.

The wiretapping was described by one former law enforcement official familiar with wiretapping as being professional. "Someone had to know what they were doing. They know exactly where to go. A layman would do it in a more common area," he said.

This is not the first time concern about whether the district's phone lines were tapped. Two years ago then Assistant Superintendent Gail Jackson claimed in a federal lawsuit that the district illegally eavesdropped on a privileged telephone conversation between her and her attorney.

Jackson, who was promoted assistant superintendent during the tenure of Superintendent Louis Laurento, had filed a Civil Rights suit against the district, claiming that she was treated unfairly and denied promotion because she is African American. The charge of wiretapping was added to the suit. Both were dismissed by a federal judge.

Jackson's attorney, Arthur Jackson, claimed that on July 1, 2000, his client retrieved messages from her Bell Atlantic Massaging service and discovered a complete conversation she had with her attorney during the week of June 27, 2000.

"The message contained the initial answer to the call by the operator of the Coatesville Area high-school administration building, transfer of that phone call to a secretary, and finally to the plaintiff (Gail Jackson. Not at any time is there an indication that there was an announcement of any type to either party that this message was being recorded. The complete text of that conversation was left on the plaintiff's answering service maintained by Bell Atlantic without attribution to any party," Jackson claimed in her suit.

Jackson is now on extended medical leave and living in Virginia. She could not be reached for comment.

According to the Keystone Intelligence Report, a sweep of district offices for listening or recording devices proved negative. Keystone was paid $3,000 for the investigation.

 

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