BEND, OR -- Bend Police are defending their response to a recent call, after a video went viral on TikTok and X, formerly Twitter. A man filmed his interaction with police, saying, "Someone just came and exposed themselves to my 2-year-old boy. And this officer’s saying that it’s not a crime."

Bend PD’s Sheila Miller says the incident started with a suspicious circumstances call on NW Knoxville Blvd. on Tuesday afternoon, "And the caller reported that a nude woman had walked up to the front of the house where a group of adults and a child were present. And when adults at the residence confronted her, she walked away." Two officers responded. "And trespassed a 32-year-old woman from the family’s property," says Miller, "She appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis."

Public nudity isn’t a crime in Oregon. "We have a public indecency and a private indecency law," says Miller, "But both have a required element of ‘intent to arouse.’ So, essentially, a person who is naked in public has to be doing so for the sexual gratification of themselves or others." KBND News asked if it matters if children are present. Miller says the law remains the same. "That’s why, for example, you can go to Portland and ride in the World Naked Bike Ride. As long as you’re not doing it for sexual gratification, you can be naked and walk up and down the street as much as you want."

Miller says the department understands the man's concern, "It can be frightening when a person who is acting strangely or is naked approaches you or is on your property, especially when your kids are present." But, she says, officers must follow and enforce state law. 

Since the video was posted Tuesday evening, Bend PD has been inundated with calls, emails and online comments from people angry the woman wasn’t arrested. "It’s their right to not like that law," says Miller, "And I would encourage them to contact the Oregon Legislature." But, she tells KBND News, many of those comments are from people who don't have the full story. "People make a lot of assumptions based on what they see on a one-minute clip on the internet. A lot of commenters have assumed that this was a naked man. Not that that makes a difference, but that is an assumption that is incorrect." She adds, "Many of the online comments and emails and other stuff that we’ve been hearing from the public, not necessarily people who live in our community, but people around the country - we have been accused of being supportive of pedophilia. And obviously that is just not the case. Our department is very aggressive in its investigation of child sex abuse."

If the woman returns to the victim’s property, Miller says she can be arrested for trespassing.