A hidden camera tucked inside a staff-only bathroom at Kaiser Permanente's West Los Angeles Medical Center has rattled emergency room workers and kicked off a criminal investigation, after employees say they found the device in a stall late last year. The restroom is reserved for ER personnel and requires a key card to enter, which has only heightened staff unease. Hospital officials say they notified the Los Angeles Police Department and opened an internal review as soon as the camera was turned over.
According to CBS Los Angeles, registered nurse Tyesha Sullivan spotted the small device at the back of a stall and flagged it to colleagues, who realized by the end of her shift that it was a camera. Attorneys representing staff told the outlet they are already hearing from more than 22 employees who say they were affected. CBS Los Angeles reports it is still unclear whether any footage from the device was ever shared.
Kaiser response and criminal probe
Kaiser Permanente told employees and reporters it was “shocked and deeply upset” by the discovery and said it immediately contacted the LAPD. The health system said an employee was identified as a person of interest, taken into custody by police, and is no longer employed by Kaiser Permanente.
The LAPD confirmed that its Special Assaults Section is handling the investigation, according to CBS Los Angeles, which also reported that the Los Angeles City Attorney has filed formal charges in the case.
Not an isolated problem
Similar discoveries have surfaced at other hospitals. In Northern California, Open Vallejo reported that a hidden camera was found in June 2025 inside a public restroom at Kaiser Vallejo Medical Center. In Texas, prosecutors recently indicted a former hospital director after multiple bathroom cameras were found at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, according to Click2Houston. Security researchers and victim advocates say cases like these point to a broader pattern of covert surveillance that is often difficult to spot and remove.
Legal stakes for the accused and employers
California law treats this kind of secret recording as a serious privacy violation. Penal Code § 647(j) covers the act of surreptitiously recording or photographing someone in a bathroom or any place where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy and allows prosecutors to charge it as a misdemeanor or, in more serious circumstances, a felony, according to the California Legislative Information website. Beyond criminal charges, employers can face civil claims, and workers may seek damages or other remedies tied to alleged workplace privacy failures.
Attorneys for Kaiser staff say they are weighing both criminal and civil options while LAPD detectives continue their work. Kaiser has said it will cooperate with law enforcement as the case moves ahead. The City Attorney’s charges and any subsequent criminal proceedings will help determine whether additional penalties or broader litigation follow.
