College Begins Probe to Quell Rumor of Bugged Phones

The rumor mill at Cerritos College has at last gained recognition from the office of President Fred Gaskin.

Responding to widespread fears that virtually every phone on campus is bugged with a built-in listening device, Gaskin has ordered a formal investigation to finally put the suspicion to rest.

The rumor can be traced back at least two years to campus police who hooked up a tape recorder to some new office phones, part of a standard procedure to record incoming calls on some campus police lines.

When it became clear that the tapes were picking up office chitchat, the police chief immediately installed special disconnect switches to the phones of top administrators, the president’s phone included.

Gaskin called the bugging rumor “ludicrous,” but does acknowledge that a campuswide phone system installed in 1993 leaves a lot to de desired, privacy-wise.