I previously discussed an employer’s obligation for reporting child pornography found on company IT resources. See What Should an Employer Do if Child Pornography is Discovered in the Workplace. One of the recommendations made in that post was to report child pornography to law enforcement, “no exceptions.”

The importance for following this recommendation was recently highlighted by the indictment of a Kansas City, Missouri Bishop for failing to report hundreds of images of alleged child pornography on a priest’s laptop.  

Specifically, Father Ratigan was charged with three state child pornography counts earlier this year. The indictment claims that Bishop Robert Finn learned of these images in December 2010, but failed to report them to the police until May 2011. 

The Take Away for Employers

This indictment is an unfortunate reminder for any employer responding to the discovery of child pornography in the workplace that careful consideration must be given to the employer’s legal obligations for reporting such conduct.

For a comprehensive overview of points that should be considered and discussed with competent legal counsel, see the recommendations provided here.