The American Civil Liberties Union says police in Platte City unlawfully trained a surveillance camera on a family’s yard, possibly in an attempt to catch a man feeding feral cats.

Kansas City-based ACLU attorney Doug Bonney sent a letter Monday to the Platte City Police Department.

In it, he described what happened as “Orwellian misconduct” and asked for assurances it wouldn’t happen again.

 

Bonney says a man and his daughter live in opposite sides of a duplex. The daughter noticed the camera Thursday and went to police Friday. The camera was taken down the next day.

Bonney says there’s no indication the city obtained a warrant as required. He says video surveillance should be reserved for investigations into serious crimes.

Platte City Police Chief Carl Mitchell declined to comment.