Bellevue, NE (LifeNews.com) -- Local taxpayers are now forced to pay for security cameras at an abortion center in this Omaha suburb. The abortion center is the one run by LeRoy Carhart, the embattled abortion practitioner who is under investigation by the state for shoddy medical practices and wants to open a late-term abortion center in Kansas.

The police department in Bellevue has announced that the city now pays nearly $1,000 to maintain security cameras at Carhart's dilapidated abortion facility.

Operation Rescue, which informed LifeNews.com today of the setup, is upset that is taken directly from the taxpayer coffers to spy on peaceful pro-life supporters who help women outside find positive abortion alternatives.

"It is outrageous, at a time when Congress is in an uproar fighting abortion lobby efforts to use tax money to bail out failing abortion clinics, that the City of Bellevue would arbitrarily decide to force taxpayers to subsidize Carhart's abortion business," OR president Troy Newman said.

"If Carhart wants extra security, he should have to pay for it himself, just like everybody else," Newman added.

Bellevue police Chief John W. Stacey attempted to justify the $970 per month tax-funded camera system by telling local pro-life advocates it was "handy" to have it at the center in case there is an altercation.

"This is yet another example of the gross lack of judgment shown by the City of Bellevue, which continues to cater to Carhart's whims," said Newman.

Newman pointed to an August incident where Bellevue police overreacted to a visit by Operation Rescue by putting up snow fences, blocking off streets, marching out the SWAT teams, and making wild and unsubstantiated claims in the media about anticipated violence.

"We tried to tell them that we only expected 20-50 peaceful supporters praying quietly on the sidewalk, but they were bent on making a tempest in a teapot. They blew everything out of proportion and in doing so, unnecessarily wasted thousands of dollars of taxpayer money. Now they are doing it again," he told LifeNews.com.

Carhart is currently under investigation by the Nebraska Attorney General's office for illegal conduct alleged when former Carhart employees came forward and said that workers with no medical background routinely assisted with surgeries, started IVs, and dispensed medication without the proper credentials.

The women told of unclean conditions at the clinic and that Carhart rarely if ever washed his hands between patients. They also indicated that drugs were often missing and believed that Carhart was, at times, chemically impaired while on duty.

"It might be a better use to tax dollars to have the spy-cams inside the abortion mill. They are more likely to catch someone breaking the law inside the clinic than outside it," said Newman.

"We encourage those who are outraged that taxpayers are subsidizing spy-cams at Carhart's abortion business to contact the Bellevue police and let their concerns be known," he said.

ACTION: make your views known on the use of taxpayer funds to pay for security cameras at the abortion center by contacting Chief of Police John W. Stacey at (402) 293-3105 or john.stacey@bellevue.net

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