JAMES V. FRANCO and EMILY DONOHUE

The Troy Record

TROY, N.Y. -- A Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute employee is under investigation and will likely be arrested for setting up a camera in the women's locker room near the swimming pool to videotape them while they were changing.

Sources say the suspect is Thomas McMartin, a heating and cooling supervisor who was recognized for five years of service in September 2011. McMartin, who lives lives in Hoosick Falls, is a part time, seasonal park ranger stationed at the Saratoga National Historic Park where his duties include giving tours and lectures.

According to a statement released by RPI, a "motion sensitive" video camera was found on March 8. By the following day the employee was dismissed, barred from campus and all his electronic access codes were blocked. The college would not confirm the name of the employee.

Also on March 9, RPI contacted the Troy Police and turned over the digital camera.

Troy Police Capt. John Cooney confirmed RPI notified the Troy Police Department with concerns about the camera.

"The camera has been secured and the digital media associated with it is being reviewed," said Capt. John Cooney in a statement.

McMartin has not been arrested, but Cooney said he expects "significant advances with the case within the next 24 hours." He also advised all interested in the case to be in Troy City Court today at 9:45 a.m.

It's unclear how long the camera had been set up or how many women were filmed, but police are in the process of notifying the "umpteen" women that are on the recordings, Cooney said. It's also unclear if the images were disseminated in any way.

"Please keep in mind that the potential victims in this case, upon being notified of the circumstances, are dealing with quite a bit of aftershock and we have not yet notified them all," Cooney said.

McMartin will likely face charges of "unlawful surveillance," which according to state law is when a person "for his or her own, or another person's amusement, entertainment, or profit he or she intentionally uses or installs, or permits the utilization or installation of an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast or record a person dressing or undressing or the sexual or other intimate parts of such person at a place and time when such person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without the person's knowledge or consent."

Unlawful surveillance is a Class E felony.

Joe Finan, superintendent of the Saratoga National Historic Park, said McMartin worked at the park on a part time basis for four years. Finan would not comment on the investigation.

Meanwhile, the RPI statement added that the college "is checking all other Troy campus athletic facilities, residence hall shower facilities, and all campus bathrooms before our students return from spring break, to ensure that our students, as well as faculty, staff, and visitors, remain safe from criminal or inappropriate behavior."

"The immediate actions we have taken were in response to workplace behavior that was unacceptable and repugnant," said the statement. "We will keep the campus community informed of any additional information."