Taking photographs under or through someone’s clothing without their knowledge is one step closer to becoming a felony after the state Assembly passed a bipartisan bill Thursday to outlaw what has been dubbed “upskirting.”
State Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, and Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, co-authored the bill. During discussion of the bill on the Assembly floor, Ott expressed his appreciation toward Sargent in working with him while stressing the urgency of the situation.
“I think by doing this we are catching up Wisconsin’s law with the technology, and I think we’ll make a very clear statement that we take this kind of activity seriously and we’re going to deal with it properly,” Ott said.
Sargent emphasized the problems with the current law, which does not impose strict penalties for the offense.
“Right here in Madison, there has been a man who has been caught taking photos of five different women … women who were shopping in stores with their children, minding their own business, not knowing they were being victimized,” Sargent said. “This is disgusting, and creepy, I think we can all agree.”
