Police Disconnect Cameras Hidden in Library Stacks

The Harvard Police are dismantling an extensive undercover surveillance operation in Widener and Pusey Libraries that several police and library officials say was characterized by expensive blunders.

The operation, designed to apprehend a person destroying books in the stacks, included television cameras hidden in hollowed-out books as well as a 24-hour undercover detail of five police officers.

Harvard police officials were scheduled to disconnect the closed-circuit television network by early this week, and the undercover detail was canceled during the summer of 1990, according to Sgt. Lawrence J. Fennelly.

The move marks the end of one stage of a major investigation conducted to find the "slasher" who cut out the pages of hundreds of books--valued at over $200,000--in Widener and Pusey Libraries in recent years.

Despite the exhaustive effort--officials estimate that it cost more than $50,000--the police still have no suspect in the bizarre case.

Several police officers and library employees familiar with the investigation say it was unsuccessful because the operation was too conspicuous and possible suspects knew about the undercover detail and hidden cameras.

Harvard Police Chief Paul E. Johnson denied that the investigation was botched and declined to comment further on the ongoing case.

"The investigation was handled properly and nostone was left unturned," Johnson said. "I neverheard any complaints about the operation."

Fennelly, who heads the crime prevention unit,said the cameras are being disconnected now basedon "new information" in the case. No slashed bookshave been found during the past year, he said.

Fennelly refused to disclose the final cost ofthe surveillance operation. But other policeofficials and security equipment experts estimatedthat the camera equipment and overtime pay for the24-hour detail totaled at least $50,000.

Larsen Librarian of Harvard College Richard DeGennaro said the investigation was funded by theFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Widener Library, thegeneral counsel's office and the policedepartment.

De Gennaro said the amount of money spent wassmall "compared to the problem we're dealingwith."

"No money was wasted," he added.

Conspicuous Officers

Although library and police officialsinterviewed last week did not question the extentof the operation, many of them criticized themanner in which the investigation was conducted.

According to these officials, many libraryemployees and even some students knew about thesupposedly covert operation.

The undercover detail--three officers duringthe day and two at night--staked out Widener andPusey stacks for about two months during thespring of 1990.

"Undercover operations are only good if theyare really undercover," said Lawrence Dowler,associate librarian of Harvard College for publicservices. Dowler was the library's liaison to thepolice for the investigation.

"People knew about it. It was difficult to keepit quiet. The investigation wasn't handled as wellas it might have been," he said.

One police officer, who spoke on condition ofanonymity, described the Widener case as "a jokeof an investigation."

"One day we were sent in in uniform, and thenext day they put us undercover," said anotherofficer. "People aren't that stupid."

Employees at the Widener circulation desk, alsospeaking on condition of anonymity, said it waseasy to spot the plainclothes officers.

"They came through the main entrance andintroduced themselves to the employees," onecirculation worker said.

"A first-day freshman wouldn't have a hard timetelling what was going on," another staff membersaid.

One worker said he saw one of the undercoverofficers wearing a pullover shirt under which hisHarvard Police T-Shirt was clearly visible. Manyof the officers entered the stacks carrying theBoston Herald and a cup of coffee, another said.

Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, who headed theundercover detail, said the fact that libraryemployees knew about the operation "did notinterfere with the investigation."

But Dowler and other library and policeofficials said the slasher could be anyone,including one of the 400-plus people employed atthe library.

"The effort didn't narrow down the suspect atall." Dowler said. "It's depressing."

"By telling people who were potential suspects,it just defeated the entire purpose," a policeofficial said.

Hidden Cameras

The police also monitored the library withthree miniature cameras hidden in books andbetween five and 10 cameras on the libraryceilings, Fennelly said. The cameras, whichrecorded 24 hours a day, were installed during Mayof 1990, according to Kevin O'Keeffe of Sonitrolsecurity.

"We put the cameras in between midnight and sixin the morning. It was a covert installation,"O'Keeffe said.

Security workers gutted three sets of books andcut a square inch hole for the lens in thebinding, Fennelly said.

"They are in Russian and Hungarian books. Threeold books that are not used," he said. "Youwouldn't find them."

The cameras, which were planted in specifictrouble spots, eventually replaced the 24-hourdetail, Dowler said.

The equipment used in the investigationconsisted of Panasonic time lapse video recordersand monitors, solid state chip cameras, and Elbexminiature dome cameras. Police officials said theywatched the videos in fast forward, looking forany sign of the suspect.

"These systems are used for banks orconvenience stores. Putting [them] into books israre," said Shawn M. Valenti, president of a Lynn,Mass. security equipment company.

Murphy said the systems were chosen because"they were an effective tool that could look forthe suspect without having the numbers [ofofficers] there."

The cameras "seemed to make sense" because"trying to have someone there at the right time ispretty iffy," said Dowler. He said he consultedwith security companies, psychologists and facultymembers about the case.

Dowler said the use of the cameras was a"second choice method" compared to the undercoverdetail.

Jerry Ellis, president of EGE SecurityConsultants in Burlington, Mass., saidclosed-circuit television cameras have severaldisadvantages.

"They don't have the flexibility of scanninglike a human being," he said. "Also, no one is onthe scene to apprehend the individual. It's a veryexpensive method that does not have a highpercentage of capturing what you're looking for."

But Dowler had another view of the cameras'limitations. "They didn't work because incidentsdidn't happen in those trouble areas," he said,adding that the individual might have seen thecameras and moved to a different spot in thelibrary.

Murphy said the cameras were somewhatsuccessful because the incidents stopped soonafter the apparatus was installed.

"The two events had to be related," he said.

But police sources said the main reason thecameras did not lead to an arrest was the factthat many people, including students, knew oftheir presence.

"Most of the people here knew about the cameraswhen they were being put into place," a Widenercirculation official said. "Word spread prettyquickly."

Police officers who watched the videotapes fromthe camera said they saw students waving, pointingand smiling at the lenses.

"If they knew, then it is entirely possiblethat who ever did it knew they were up there,too," one officer said.

"More people knew about it than would have beenideal," acknowledged David Muir, of WidenerLibrary security.

Dowler said the recording equipment, which wasturned off two weeks ago, will be stored untilthey are needed again.

However, the ceiling-mounted cameras willremain in place after being disconnected, as willone of those concealed in a set of books, Fennellysaid.

"The cameras will ultimately be useful in thefuture," Dowler said. "The equipment won't beuseless, but we have nothing specific in mindright now."

Bizarre Case

The strange case has stumped police officialssince the destroyed books were first discovered inApril, 1990.

According to police sources, the state policeand the FBI were also involved in theinvestigation.

The criminal used a knife and his hands to ripout the insides of hundreds of books, libraryofficials said.

The slasher then put the empty covers back onthe shelf. The tornout pages were never found,police said.

The slasher, who focused the attacks on thechurch history and linguistics sections, leftnotes in Widener threatening violence if anyonetried to stop him.

"I will not stop until the voices tell me tostop," said one note, according to a librarycirculation official.

"The whole thing was very strange. The way thecrimes were committed it was as if he was baitingus to catch him," said Dowler.

A top-level library official, who spoke on thecondition of anonymity, said the cunning of theslasher also made the case more difficult tocrack.

"Not just anyone can get into the stacks," theofficial said. "It was probably a member of theHarvard community, and with that comes a certainpresumption of their intellect. Add that to thevastness of the library, and the case is a hardone to solve."

Dowler said officials are currently discussingtighter security for Widener and Pusey Libraries.Options under consideration include an electric IDcard scanner and a security checkpoint at thelibrary entrance.

Despite the lack of progress, Fennelly said thepolice have not given up on the case.

"We will continue this investigation until theday I die," he said.Police hid cameras in this set of books seensitting next to a stack of time lapse recorders.The one-inch hole cut out for the camera lens canbe seen in the binding of the third book.

"The investigation was handled properly and nostone was left unturned," Johnson said. "I neverheard any complaints about the operation."

Fennelly, who heads the crime prevention unit,said the cameras are being disconnected now basedon "new information" in the case. No slashed bookshave been found during the past year, he said.

Fennelly refused to disclose the final cost ofthe surveillance operation. But other policeofficials and security equipment experts estimatedthat the camera equipment and overtime pay for the24-hour detail totaled at least $50,000.

Larsen Librarian of Harvard College Richard DeGennaro said the investigation was funded by theFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Widener Library, thegeneral counsel's office and the policedepartment.

De Gennaro said the amount of money spent wassmall "compared to the problem we're dealingwith."

"No money was wasted," he added.

Conspicuous Officers

Although library and police officialsinterviewed last week did not question the extentof the operation, many of them criticized themanner in which the investigation was conducted.

According to these officials, many libraryemployees and even some students knew about thesupposedly covert operation.

The undercover detail--three officers duringthe day and two at night--staked out Widener andPusey stacks for about two months during thespring of 1990.

"Undercover operations are only good if theyare really undercover," said Lawrence Dowler,associate librarian of Harvard College for publicservices. Dowler was the library's liaison to thepolice for the investigation.

"People knew about it. It was difficult to keepit quiet. The investigation wasn't handled as wellas it might have been," he said.

One police officer, who spoke on condition ofanonymity, described the Widener case as "a jokeof an investigation."

"One day we were sent in in uniform, and thenext day they put us undercover," said anotherofficer. "People aren't that stupid."

Employees at the Widener circulation desk, alsospeaking on condition of anonymity, said it waseasy to spot the plainclothes officers.

"They came through the main entrance andintroduced themselves to the employees," onecirculation worker said.

"A first-day freshman wouldn't have a hard timetelling what was going on," another staff membersaid.

One worker said he saw one of the undercoverofficers wearing a pullover shirt under which hisHarvard Police T-Shirt was clearly visible. Manyof the officers entered the stacks carrying theBoston Herald and a cup of coffee, another said.

Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, who headed theundercover detail, said the fact that libraryemployees knew about the operation "did notinterfere with the investigation."

But Dowler and other library and policeofficials said the slasher could be anyone,including one of the 400-plus people employed atthe library.

"The effort didn't narrow down the suspect atall." Dowler said. "It's depressing."

"By telling people who were potential suspects,it just defeated the entire purpose," a policeofficial said.

Hidden Cameras

The police also monitored the library withthree miniature cameras hidden in books andbetween five and 10 cameras on the libraryceilings, Fennelly said. The cameras, whichrecorded 24 hours a day, were installed during Mayof 1990, according to Kevin O'Keeffe of Sonitrolsecurity.

"We put the cameras in between midnight and sixin the morning. It was a covert installation,"O'Keeffe said.

Security workers gutted three sets of books andcut a square inch hole for the lens in thebinding, Fennelly said.

"They are in Russian and Hungarian books. Threeold books that are not used," he said. "Youwouldn't find them."

The cameras, which were planted in specifictrouble spots, eventually replaced the 24-hourdetail, Dowler said.

The equipment used in the investigationconsisted of Panasonic time lapse video recordersand monitors, solid state chip cameras, and Elbexminiature dome cameras. Police officials said theywatched the videos in fast forward, looking forany sign of the suspect.

"These systems are used for banks orconvenience stores. Putting [them] into books israre," said Shawn M. Valenti, president of a Lynn,Mass. security equipment company.

Murphy said the systems were chosen because"they were an effective tool that could look forthe suspect without having the numbers [ofofficers] there."

The cameras "seemed to make sense" because"trying to have someone there at the right time ispretty iffy," said Dowler. He said he consultedwith security companies, psychologists and facultymembers about the case.

Dowler said the use of the cameras was a"second choice method" compared to the undercoverdetail.

Jerry Ellis, president of EGE SecurityConsultants in Burlington, Mass., saidclosed-circuit television cameras have severaldisadvantages.

"They don't have the flexibility of scanninglike a human being," he said. "Also, no one is onthe scene to apprehend the individual. It's a veryexpensive method that does not have a highpercentage of capturing what you're looking for."

But Dowler had another view of the cameras'limitations. "They didn't work because incidentsdidn't happen in those trouble areas," he said,adding that the individual might have seen thecameras and moved to a different spot in thelibrary.

Murphy said the cameras were somewhatsuccessful because the incidents stopped soonafter the apparatus was installed.

"The two events had to be related," he said.

But police sources said the main reason thecameras did not lead to an arrest was the factthat many people, including students, knew oftheir presence.

"Most of the people here knew about the cameraswhen they were being put into place," a Widenercirculation official said. "Word spread prettyquickly."

Police officers who watched the videotapes fromthe camera said they saw students waving, pointingand smiling at the lenses.

"If they knew, then it is entirely possiblethat who ever did it knew they were up there,too," one officer said.

"More people knew about it than would have beenideal," acknowledged David Muir, of WidenerLibrary security.

Dowler said the recording equipment, which wasturned off two weeks ago, will be stored untilthey are needed again.

However, the ceiling-mounted cameras willremain in place after being disconnected, as willone of those concealed in a set of books, Fennellysaid.

"The cameras will ultimately be useful in thefuture," Dowler said. "The equipment won't beuseless, but we have nothing specific in mindright now."

Bizarre Case

The strange case has stumped police officialssince the destroyed books were first discovered inApril, 1990.

According to police sources, the state policeand the FBI were also involved in theinvestigation.

The criminal used a knife and his hands to ripout the insides of hundreds of books, libraryofficials said.

The slasher then put the empty covers back onthe shelf. The tornout pages were never found,police said.

The slasher, who focused the attacks on thechurch history and linguistics sections, leftnotes in Widener threatening violence if anyonetried to stop him.

"I will not stop until the voices tell me tostop," said one note, according to a librarycirculation official.

"The whole thing was very strange. The way thecrimes were committed it was as if he was baitingus to catch him," said Dowler.

A top-level library official, who spoke on thecondition of anonymity, said the cunning of theslasher also made the case more difficult tocrack.

"Not just anyone can get into the stacks," theofficial said. "It was probably a member of theHarvard community, and with that comes a certainpresumption of their intellect. Add that to thevastness of the library, and the case is a hardone to solve."

Dowler said officials are currently discussingtighter security for Widener and Pusey Libraries.Options under consideration include an electric IDcard scanner and a security checkpoint at thelibrary entrance.

Despite the lack of progress, Fennelly said thepolice have not given up on the case.

"We will continue this investigation until theday I die," he said.Police hid cameras in this set of books seensitting next to a stack of time lapse recorders.The one-inch hole cut out for the camera lens canbe seen in the binding of the third book.