KANKAKEE — In an always “expect the unexpected” protocol, the Kankakee County Health Department was prepared for a recent visit from the Tyrant Terminator First Amendment Auditor.
Who is this Tyrant Terminator, you might ask? He’s a private individual who pays visits to government facilities with the purpose of testing his First Amendment rights. Specifically, he begins videoing using his cellphone inside a government facility to see what kind of reaction he gets from employees.
“We had prepared our staff just to allow him to do what he does,” said John Bevis, county health department administrator to the County Board’s Executive Committee on Tuesday. “Ask him if he needs any help. If you don’t engage in a negative manner, he just videotapes for a little while and then leaves.”
Bevis added while it’s illegal to record a video inside a clinic or room within the KCHD, it’s OK to do so inside the waiting area at the building on West Station Street in Kankakee.
“As long as it’s public space, then theoretically no private information is technically being shared in the open in a manner that would break HIPPA from our side of the fence,” he said. “He’s just looking to see are you going to try to shut down a video recording? Are you going to try to call the police and ask me to leave when I have the right to be here?”
If the Tyrant Terminator gets a negative response from employees and/or police are called, that video can end up on YouTube or his Facebook page. Bevis added the Tyrant Terminator does it in a polite and professional manner while recording. He’s got 23 million views on previous posts.
“He would just say, ‘I have a right to be here. I’m in a public area; I’m not doing anything illegal,’” Bevis said.
After hearing about the Tyrant Terminator was making the rounds at public facility a couple years ago, mainly at facilities in the Chicago suburbs, Bevis thought he might pay a visit to Kankakee. The KCHD has a guide with a list of things to say to the auditor, including:
• Stay calm, treat the person the same as any other client.
• Do not ask them to stop filming.
• Answer their questions politely and ask how else you can help.
• Provide your name and title if they ask.
• They don’t have to provide their name or reason why they are filming.
• If you’re unsure of something or are feeling flustered, inform the visitor you need assistance from a manager, and call for assistance.
• Have documents ready such as a FOIA request.
When the Tyrant Terminator paid a visit July 9, he recorded a video on his cellphone for a few minutes and then left. Bevis said he was very proud with how his staff responded.
“The staff reacted so fast and so well,” he said. “… Because they came in [and said] ‘He’s here, he’s here,’ and I knew what they were talking about. So, I grabbed a Freedom of Information request form because sometimes they’ll ask for those. And by the time I got out, he was already walking outside back to his car and drove away. … I’m proud to say of the staff how they reacted, and we did not end up on Facebook.”
Board member Matt Alexander was impressed with the response.
“Your staff did a good job,” he said.