Sleaze Frame

Fears of camera-phone mayhem have proven overblown in Philly.

by Alexa James

It's a crowded summer night at the club. The bass is pulsing and so are the ladies, dressed to the nines in next to nothing. You've already thrown a few back, but not too many to ignore the creepy man nearby who appears to be aiming his digital camera up a woman's skirt. You alert the club's staff, who confiscate the camera's memory card, vigorously show the voyeur to the door and call the authorities to take it from there.

Such was the scene last month for a patron at Cavanaugh's River Deck, an outdoor restaurant, bar and nightclub on North Columbus Boulevard. According to Cavanaugh's business partners, Kenneth Hutchings and Patrick Pawliczek, no charges were filed and they haven't had a problem since. Still, like at other bars in the city, the staff is always on the lookout for inappropriate photography, particularly with the increasing presence of camera phones. But there's just one little problem.

"We want cell phones here," said Pawliczek, "It helps business."

Cavanaugh's Web site is plastered with pictures taken at the bar. While it's not unusual to see a cocktail waitress or bartender caught on film, "the unsolicited photos are what we discourage," says Hutchings.

Like at other watering holes, the staff tries to look out for patrons who may not realize someone is taking their picture. If someone feels uncomfortable, Pawliczek says his staff is responsive.

So, last month's perpetrator was probably just a fraternity brother on a double dare. Or was he? "He would have fit the profile," said Hutchings. You know the type: a creepy Tom roving bars, gyms and dressing rooms for new material to post on his slimy Web site. (Those of the non-pervert persuasion could be snapping shots of confidential memos at the office or sneaking pics of their favorite band at the Tweeter Center.)

Blackmail, bootlegging, boobs. Good Lord, people, this is a security nightmare, a camera phone code red! Not so fast. Should anyone actually be afraid of camera phones? Rick Piper, president of 12th Street Gym, which tallies about 33,000 member visits per month, doesn't fret.

"We have more naked people than probably anywhere else in Philadelphia," said Piper. With the market's wide array of readily available pornographic material, Piper scoffs at the notion of someone pursuing a low-quality shot of another's genitals in the locker room. "Our membership is a very sophisticated group of people. If we have some nutcase who gets off on this, then we'll react accordingly."

Otherwise, he's not about to burden his members with policies for extraordinary circumstances.

Over at Delilah's gentlemen's club, a spokesperson said cell phones are allowed in but cameras aren't. All guests pass through a metal detector at the door and camera phones are checked in at that time. (But isn't it senseless to sneak grainy pics of topless Delilah's dancers when there are galleries of clear photos available on the club's Web site, anyway?)

Obviously, in security-sensitive environments camera phones are often prohibited, along with other devices capable of transmitting confidential data. That's the case at Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor. "It's a clear-cut policy," said Ken Ross, spokesman at the company's Moorestown, N.J., site. Employees are held responsible for ensuring that everyone adheres to it.

"You can misuse anything," said Halem Aidel, manager at Comtel Wireless on Chestnut Street in University City. "You can use a gun to protect yourself or to commit a crime."

Truth is, there's just not much crime to speak of with camera phones. Cpl. Jim Pauley, spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department, including the Special Victim's Unit, could not find a single case involving illegal pictures with camera phones.

Today's cell-phone businesses operate like car dealerships — sleek new models line the show room, customizable with ring tones, body colors and payment plans. You can send color pictures, video clips or ring tones internationally to other multimedia phones and e-mail addresses. Camera phones sell with or without flashes and store from 15 to 50 files, depending on make and model. Prices range from "free after rebate" to more than $200.

On a recent Thursday night at the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant on Main Street, five 20-something roommates discussed the feasibility of using their camera phones to take racy pictures of women.

"Want to see a girl?" said Chris Neuhard, flipping open his phone to display a picture of one of the other guys passed out after a long day of Penn State tailgating.

"Look at that girl," said Chris Risteter, passing around a mug of another one of the boys wearing a mullet wig at the Jersey Shore.

But even these carefully staged shots are low-fi. "I would say girls do not have anything to worry about," said Neuhard.

The boys even experimented with their camera phones on one of their denim-miniskirt-wearing female friends. They tried indoors and out from multiple angles but could not get a single shot to reveal anything.

"There is no way if I tried to take a picture up a girl's skirt it would work," said Neuhard. "Unless " The guys around the table lean forward in anticipation. "Unless, she was wearing a thong with, like, lights running around it."