A 16-year-old girl called the police on her father after he took her phone away as punishment for having it password protected, Ohio officials say. Bodycam footage shows the moment officers responded to the 911 call made by the teen, who told dispatchers: 'My father took my property, which is an $800 phone that doesn't belong to him. He didn't buy it.' Lt James Wilson of the South Euclid Police Department said officers recognized the situation as a teaching opportunity, telling WKYC: 'Certainly if we were busy, it would be pushed to the back burner, but we still have an obligation to respond.' The father, Anthony Robertson, and his daughter were both sitting outside the home when officers arrived on Saturday afternoon. The teen, whose name has not been released because she is a minor, can be heard saying: 'I want my phone.' Robertson then explains: 'I took her phone because she's a juvenile, and I don't want her to have it. 'I can't inspect it, because the phone is locked, so I took it away.' The officers determined that it was merely a parental disciplinary issue and sided with Robertson.
The girl says: 'It's my property and I don't live here,' claiming that she lives with her grandmother but occasionally stays at her father's home. One of the officers responds: 'But guess what? Everything that you own belongs to your mother and your father. Having a phone is not right.'Robertson adds: 'It's a privilege.'
The officers then warned the teen not to call 911 in non-emergency situations. A post about the incident on the South Euclid Police Department's Facebook page has been liked and shared hundreds of times by empathetic parents. It also stirred a debate over the property rights of teenagers. Lt Wilson said: 'Our department would not pursue this type of "theft". 'You'd be hard-pressed to find a court in this country who would take the case.' Speaking to WKYC after the incident, Robertson said he was shocked when police showed up at his home.
'There's like, four cars, and I'm like, oh my goodness, the police are coming and they look kind of tough,' he said. Defending his decision to take away his daughter's phone, Robertson said: 'To all the parents, you know? Stay on them. There are so many hidden apps and little ways that they can hide and cover up what they're doing on those phones. It's ridiculous.'
