Bridget Bittman Transcript on 89 WLS: OPPL Library Having Child Porn Is a Safe Library

Bridget Bittman is the public relations employee of the Orland Park Public Library [OPPL], Orland Park, IL.  She was interviewed regarding child pornography in that library by Bruce Wolf and Dan Proft on 89 WLS AM.  Below is a transcript of that interview on 6 November 2013, to the best of my ability to discern the fireworks.

Other than noting she calls OPPL a "safe library" affirming my own goal of helping communities achieve safe libraries,  I'll leave out commentary so you can think for yourselves:

TRANSCRIPT OF OPPL'S BRIDGET BITTMAN

89 WLS AM; BRUCE WOLF + DAN PROFT SHOW

6 NOVEMBER 2013
LISTEN ONLINE HERE

Actor Robert Preston: With any librarian such as Marrrrrrrrrrrian. [Singing Marian the Librarian from The Music Man.]

WLS's Bruce Wolf: Marrrrrian. Uh, if you were with us last hour we talked with Megan Fox, uh, who has led this campaign against the Orland Park library for allowing access to pornography at the Orland Park library, and so we wanted to give equal time right now, we’re interested in this controversy, to the Orland Park library, and we are joined right now by Bridget Bittman, who is, uh, spokesperson for the, uh, Orland Park library. Thanks for coming on the show. We appreciate it.

OPPL's Bridget Bittman: Oh, thanks. Good morning Bruce.

Bruce Wolf: So…

Bridget Bittman: Glad to have our, uh, side of the story be heard.

Bruce Wolf: So, okay just to refresh everyone's recollection right here, the complaint is, is that there’s been access, uh, given to, uh, pornography at the Orland Park library, and that, I mean you have like men coming in there and going on, uh, the video screens and, and looking, uh, at pornography while there are children around. Uh, and, and this was brought up at a library board meeting, Megan Fox has made, uh, a video about this, complaining about it, and what is your response to this complaint?

Bridget Bittman: Sure Bruce. You know, the safety of our children at the Orland Park Public Library is really important to us, and we have some very, very key safety measures in place at the library.

Bruce Wolf: And what are those safety measures?

WLS's Dan Proft: Do you have filters on the computers?

Bridget Bittman: Sir, yes we do. As a matter of fact we have filters on our children's computers, at, um, they are on the first floor, and no adults are allowed to use the computers on the first floor.

Dan Proft: What? Wait, wait, okay. So why don't you have filters on the computers that adults have access to?

Bridget Bittman: Well, uh, let, let me explain also that on our teen computers, so that consists of kids who use it from ages, um, probably around 12, 13 to the age of 17, those computers are filtered as well, because we feel that those safety measures for kids are very important, in addition to their parents supervising whatever they look at online. And we also recommend that parents take a look at what their kids are checking out …

Dan Proft: Okay. Can, can you …

Bridget Bittman: … and so they’re okay with what they’re viewing.

Dan Proft: … Can, can you answer my question?

Bridget Bittman: Sure.

Dan Proft: Why don't you have filters on the computers that adults have access to, because the concern is, uh, of course, of adults being predators online.

Bridget Bittman: Okay. Well, the reason is because we believe that adults, ages 18 and over, are, should be responsible and should have the ability to view anything that's not illegal or obscene. And that's why we allow access to adults to make the right choices to view what's responsible and not illegal and obscene.

Bruce Wolf: Okay, here's the thing. You know, would you want your children in the same library? And I understand it's on a different floor, and you’re trying to have, you know, these, whatever, so they can't see what the adults are looking at, but would you want your children in the same building with some guy who’s coming in and looking at porn?

Bridget Bittman: Well, Bruce uf, that's a really good question. I have a 13 year old daughter, she just turned 13 on Monday, and as a parent I know that a library offers safety guards for me, but I'm always going to have an eye on my kids. That doesn't mean that, that adults, whether it's women or men, are coming to the library to access this type of information. I mean that's like saying, you know, and, and what is the definition of, of what Miss Fox calls pornography? Is it a Victoria Secret? Is …

Bruce Wolf: Yeah, I know, I know it's ...

Bridget Bittman: … it a Sports Illustrated magazine? [crosstalk] Let me say it. Let me say it.

Dan Proft: Potter Stewart, you'll know when you see it, right.

Bruce Wolf: But, I mean we can agree on certain things on pornography, that you’re permitting it, that you wouldn't want your daughter to be around anyone, you know, involved with it. I mean why can't you just, you know, cut off access to these kinds of things?

Bridget Bittman: Okay. Well, that's a really good question.

Bruce Wolf: You, you’re not required …

Bridget Bittman: So.

Bruce Wolf: … to show porn …

Bridget Bittman: Yes.

Bruce Wolf: … are you?

Bridget Bittman: Well, that's an excellent question. But we do support the First Amendment right for people to view what they want, adults, ages 18 and up. But let's say Miss Fox came to the library to research a story of another library that supposedly was showing pornography or she wanted to know what kind of pornography was offensive or what have you. Guess what? If she came to our library and we filtered that, she wouldn't be able to research what she really needed to research.

Bruce Wolf: She's willing to pay that price.

Dan Proft: What about the, the reports that she FOIA’d, uh, uh, about, uh, uh, incidence of public masturbation at the library. Were those true or not?

Bridget Bittman: Okay. So we have had 12 years, she FOIA'd requests. In the past 12 years we have 7 incidents. Okay, so 12 years span, 7 incidents where we have had inappropriate behavior at the library, okay? The police have looked at these. Of those 7 incidents, only one, only one, was not handled in the way that we should have, and the library appreciates that and has changed the way that we respond to that. Now. Over 12 years, these were some of the … these were some of the things. We had mentally challenged teenager in the bathroom that said the joke, "Oh, they should have a sign, library penises should hang out here." Then, this is what he did, …

Bruce Wolf: Well, uh, uh, okay …

Bridget Bittman: … he went to the, wait, he went to the urinal and he pulled his pants down …

Bruce/Dan: All right, all right, we don't need to hear this story [crosstalk]. We don’t need to hear the details of that story. We’re not talking about isolated incidents. We‘re talking about access to porn. The bottom line is she FOIA’d a report …

Bridget Bittman: Wait, no, no, no, no. This is what she FOIA’d. And this is what she called a sex crime. A young disabled man …

Dan Proft: That's not what she, that’s not what she’s [crosstalk] …

Bridget Bittman: … that’s pulling his pants down …

Dan Proft: Let’s, let’s, let’s, let’s, let’s tamp down the demagoguery. That is not what she is saying is a sex crime. That is specifically not what she is saying is a sex crime …

Bridget Bittman: That is exactly what she’s saying is a sex crime.

Dan Proft: She is, she is … what are the other 6 incidents then? Is, are any of the incidents that, in the seven, …

Bridget Bittman: There was one incident, there was ...

Dan Proft: … that you described consistent with what she described?

Bridget Bittman: There was one incident of child pornography that was reported to us …

Dan Proft: … oh …

Bridget Bittman: … an hour after the person had reported it to us …

Dan Proft: Oh, huh, child porn.

Bridget Bittman: … child porn …

Bruce Wolf: Oh okay, child porn, there you go …

Dan Proft: Bridget, Bridget …

Bridget Bittman: Okay, so that’s, let me give you an idea, that’s one incident in 12 years, there’s no reasonable illegal item that happened.

Bruce/Dan: No, I understand, I understand. One incident, when it was caught.

Bruce Wolf: Here Bridget, I mean, you know, we appreciate you coming on, and thank you so much for doing that. But I mean, why can't we use our common sense here? Why can't you use your discretion and say, "We're not going to show, uh, you know Hustler or whatever, and we're not going to have this because, you know, our kids are around here. Why don't you just do that?

Bridget Bittman: So you want us to start making choices for what adults get to view.

Bruce Wolf: Yeah I do.

Bridget Bittman: Okay.

Bruce Wolf: I want to use your discretion as an adult, like you do it for your daughter. Use your daughter as the standard. That’s what …

Bridget Bittman: Wait, no.

Bruce Wolf: … I want you to do, Bridget.

Bridget Bittman: Okay, you want, you want the government and you want librarians to start [crosstalk] …

Bruce Wolf: Yeah I want my local library to do that at Orland Park. I don't want the national government to do it, I want Orland Park to do it, and I want to move in to your neighborhood, right now. I like you.

Bridget Bittman: You're welcome. We have a great library, and we have a safe library, and we don't have [crosstalk] …

Bruce Wolf: GET RID OF THE PORN AND I'LL MOVE IN THERE! Thanks Bridget, we appreciate it.

Dan Proft: So we want one that reflects community standards, that's all.

Bruce Wolf: Thank you Bridget Bittman, library spokesperson.

Announcer: This episode contained brief nudity. Viewer discretion is advised. 89 WLS.

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