Ill: Oregon Father Informed by Officer That Nude Individual Near His 2-Year-Old Son Is Not Breaking the Law

A video of a father’s interaction with an Oregon police officer went viral on social media after the man complained about someone “completely bare naked” approaching his 2-year-old son and the officer informed him it was legal.

The upset parent was informed that in the state, it is a crime for an adult to expose his or her private parts to a minor only if there is a sexual element to the act.

The video showed a father asking an officer with the Bend Police Department to explain why an arrest could not be made after his young child encountered a naked adult on the family’s private property.

When the outraged dad raised his concerns, the officer replied, “There are no laws against the actual nudity portion of it.”

“If you’re not doing it for sexual gratification or the gratification of someone else, yes, you are allowed to walk around naked,” he said.

The upset father concluded his video – which was posted Wednesday to the SideMoneyTom account on TikTok – by expressing outrage.

@sidemoneytom #fyp #police #bendpolice #foryou ♬ original sound – SideMoneyTom

The man did not say whether the person who approached his child naked was a man or a woman.

After the video went viral, the Bend Police Department explained on social media that the officer’s hands were tied and that Oregon state law permits adults to walk around nude.

We’ve received many messages of concern about a post that has appeared on TikTok and X, and we want to make sure that our community has accurate information about the incident. As is often the case when short clips are shared on the internet, context can sometimes be missing.

— City of Bend Police Department #BendPolice (@BendCityPolice) June 5, 2024

When adults at the residence confronted her, she walked away. Two of our officers responded to the incident. Officers trespassed the 32-year-old woman from the property. She appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis. If she returns to the property, she will be arrested.

— City of Bend Police Department #BendPolice (@BendCityPolice) June 5, 2024

We understand the homeowner’s concern – it’s always off-putting when someone acting strangely is on your property, especially if your kids are present.

— City of Bend Police Department #BendPolice (@BendCityPolice) June 5, 2024

The department said it did not support sex crimes against children and described the person who approached the child on Tuesday as a woman.

Our Department has been accused of supporting pedophilia, and obviously that is not the case – we take crimes against children very seriously. Our Department has an entire detective unit focused on investigating and holding accountable those who commit crimes against children.

— City of Bend Police Department #BendPolice (@BendCityPolice) June 5, 2024

Our officers accurately applied state law and properly trespassed the woman from the property, and we are proud of the work they do each day to keep our community safe.

— City of Bend Police Department #BendPolice (@BendCityPolice) June 5, 2024

The statute cited by police in Bend states that public indecency in the state is only committed if there is “an act of sexual intercourse” or “an act of oral or anal sexual intercourse.”

Additionally, someone can be cited and arrested in the state for public indecency if he or she is masturbating or there is “an act of exposing the genitals of the person with the intent of arousing the sexual desire of the person or another person.”

In Oregon, an act of public indecency becomes a felony only if the person whose genitals are exposed has been cited for the crime previously or has been convicted of rape.