Posted at the request of Tom Taylor, the following is the description of the session that SCKLS will be offering in conjunction with the statewide Everyday Ethics CE project.
Here’s a proposed title and description of SCKLS’ proposed contribution to the collaborative ethics discussion. Paul Hawkins and Tom Taylor are excited about the possibility of this program.
“A Serial Killer Visits the Library: Confidentiality and Coping with Law Enforcement Inquiries”
On February 25, 2005, Dennis Rader was stopped near his Park City, Kansas home and taken into custody by law enforcement officials. Among the locations searched that day to obtain evidence in the infamous "Bind, Torture and Kill" (BTK) murders was the Park City Community Public Library. When confronted by uniformed officers with a search warrant, Dawn Pilcher, Park City Community Public Library Director (retired), called the South Central Kansas Library System (SCKLS) for advice. During the five-hour closing and search of the Park City Community Public Library in conjunction with Rader’s arrest, Pilcher and SCKLS Director Paul Hawkins were able to communicate using cell phones. As news spread of the arrest of a suspect in the BTK murders, local media and sightseers began converging on Park City. Two helicopters could be seen overhead and a local television station truck set up for a live broadcast directly in front of the library. In this stressful environment and in the media coverage to follow, the Park City Community Public Library upheld library ethics and did not compromise patron confidentiality.
SCKLS Director Paul Hawkins and Dawn Pilcher, retired Park City Community Public Library Director (pending availability), will describe their experience and take questions from the audience.
