'Upskirt' Crime On The, Er, Rise?

Is it us, or has the Japanese fetish for "upskirt" photos -- on-the-street pictures angled to capture less-exposed areas of a woman -- started to take a life of its own here in the United States? Like everything of pop cultural import -- blues, rock, jazz and techno included -- we invented it. Two words: Marilyn Monroe.

But the Japanese have certainly fetishized it, franchised it and got more freaky with it (along with school-girl uniforms). What goes around comes around, and now it seems that each day some idiot with a mirror on his shoe or a camera in his low-swung gym bag is getting caught for upskirtian crime right here in America.

The most-recent incident happened this month in Arcadia. Police alleged that 28-year-old Albert Wong followed a skirt-wearing woman in her 20s as she shopped in a CVS store and crouched behind her to take pictures of her underside.

Police said the woman caught him and grabbed his camera. Police were called and officers stated that they found photographic evidence on the suspect's camera. Photos of another victim were said to have been found.

Now Arcadia officials are asking for the public's help to determine if there are even more victims: Anyone with information about the case was asked to call 626-574-5160.