What to Know
- A device that recorded video and could be accessed remotely was found in a PGCPS school administrator's office, police said.
- Police believe the device was placed "in order to gather information, the police chief said.
- The announcement comes amid issues and infighting among leaders of the school district.
A Prince George's County school administrator found a recording device that may have been hidden inside their office for months, police and school officials said.
The unnamed school administrator discovered the device inside their office on Monday morning, officials said. They contacted Kevin Maxwell, the CEO of Prince George's County Schools, who called police.
The administrator's office is located inside a school building, county police chief Hank Stawinski said. At a press conference on Monday where officials offered few details on the ongoing investigation, Stawinski refused to say which school building the administrator works in so their identity would not be revealed.
The case has been assigned to public corruption investigators, Stawinski said. Police don't believe the recording device was intended for prurient purposes, but didn't rule out other explanations.
“We believe that this was placed in order to gather information," Stawinski said. "It is entirely unclear at this point as to what the goal of gathering that information was."
The device could record video and could be accessed remotely, the police chief said. An initial examination showed the device may have been placed in the office months ago.
Police said the investigation is ongoing but officials wanted to inform the public of the incident as soon as possible.
"It's important to be transparent," Maxwell said.
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The device was in an office, not a hallway, bathroom, locker room or other place where children could have had their images captured, police stressed.
The announcement comes amid issues and infighting among leadership at Prince George's County Schools, including disputes about pay and a grade tampering scandal.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called for Maxwell to be dismissed in February after allegations of system-wide grade tampering were confirmed.
Earlier this month, board members decried large pay increases that several members executives received. Board members asked for a 4 percent raise for teachers several months ago and were denied. In a letter, members showed that some executives got raises of as much as 36 percent.
