ConfederateScott
Enlightened
This article reminded me of the recent discussion we had about photographing public buildings.
Full story here
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man arrested for public photography
- Thread starter ConfederateScott
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digitaleos
Enlightened
Sounds like a rookie cop who just overdosed on Viagra. :shrug:
light_emitting_dude
Flashlight Enthusiast
I think there is a fear among LEO's of cameras with all of the negative publicity that they tend to generate.
You rarely see a video of a police officer doing something positive for the community he serves like saving a life on "TV" but see them all of the time at their worst.
You rarely see a video of a police officer doing something positive for the community he serves like saving a life on "TV" but see them all of the time at their worst.
Mike Painter
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2002
- Messages
- 1,863
If there are any. I'd bet a nickel that a casual search of the local newspaper would show pictures of police officers.
I'll bet another nickel that says there is no law against such photography.
gadget_lover
Flashaholic
I like airplanes.
I spent a lot of time in teh last few years waiting to pick up my wife at the airport. One day I decided to take pictures of the planes as they took off and landed at the municipal airport next to Oakland International as I waited.
In minutes, a sheriff was questioning me. He said that due to security concerns, people were not allowed to hang around and take pictures of planes anymore. I was told to leave.
It would probably have been in my rights to insist on staying, but then again, there's that little law about refusing a lawful order from an officer. And the fact that I really do not want to hassle the police.
The guy in Tennessee will probably never go to court, but he should not be surprised at what happened. I think. Maybe.
Daniel
I spent a lot of time in teh last few years waiting to pick up my wife at the airport. One day I decided to take pictures of the planes as they took off and landed at the municipal airport next to Oakland International as I waited.
In minutes, a sheriff was questioning me. He said that due to security concerns, people were not allowed to hang around and take pictures of planes anymore. I was told to leave.
It would probably have been in my rights to insist on staying, but then again, there's that little law about refusing a lawful order from an officer. And the fact that I really do not want to hassle the police.
The guy in Tennessee will probably never go to court, but he should not be surprised at what happened. I think. Maybe.
Daniel
270winchester
Flashlight Enthusiast
I wasn't aware that "irritating police official" is a crime now. Are we supposed to be afraid of the police to the point that we don't want to "irritate" them?
it's pretty obvious who is at wrong here.
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right now
husky20
Banned
I just got the new lg Dare im going to take pictures of everything
e2x2e
Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2007
- Messages
- 462
Hmm...nor did I. Well, if it protects us, I think that it should be made a law
rolleyes::shakehead.This it absolutely outrageous...
The only reason a US citizen should be placed behind bars is if s/he is a threat to the lives of other Americans. Taking away some body's freedom is nothing to joke about. Freedom is what our founding fathers fought hard to earn, and I'm sure they wouldn't tolerate it being taken away without a really good reason. TAKING A PICTURE WITH A CELL PHONE IS NOT A VALID REASON. From this article, it seems to me that this officer is unprofessional and isn't truly concerned with serving the citizens of the USA.
I have a lot of respect for any hard-working professional who does a respectable job and who respects other people's rights. There are some officers out there who do great work and should be applauded tremendously. I unfortunately don't think such people make up the majority of the police force.
n4zov
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2005
- Messages
- 142
"It's illegal to take a picture of a law enforcement officer,"
Yeah right, that's why you see all those officers from every LE agency within 500 miles crowding the podium when they "solve" a case that draws a lot of national attention. Bet the sheriff looks for every opportunity to get in front of the cameras when the news is positive and an election is in sight!
Yeah right, that's why you see all those officers from every LE agency within 500 miles crowding the podium when they "solve" a case that draws a lot of national attention. Bet the sheriff looks for every opportunity to get in front of the cameras when the news is positive and an election is in sight!
Marduke
Flashaholic
It's not illegal to take a picture of an officer, but think of what the officer could very well have seen:
Middle of a tense traffic stop, guy runs up, pulls out something from his pocket, and points it at the officer, most likely shouting some obscenities about his distaste for what is going on.
What do you think the first thought through the officer's mind was? I'll give you a hint, gun or knife. The guy is lucky he wasn't tasered if that was the case.
Beyond that, if the guy was interfering with the stop by "getting up in the officer's face" so to speak, that in itself is grounds for charging with something along the lines of obstruction.
Use some common sense people. If you are going to be a jerk towards someone who has a rather crappy job to begin with, which few people respect, prepare to be treated like the jerk in return.
But in the end, none of us were there and have no idea what actually transpired. Other people more qualified than any of us will make the call on who was right and who was wrong.
Middle of a tense traffic stop, guy runs up, pulls out something from his pocket, and points it at the officer, most likely shouting some obscenities about his distaste for what is going on.
What do you think the first thought through the officer's mind was? I'll give you a hint, gun or knife. The guy is lucky he wasn't tasered if that was the case.
Beyond that, if the guy was interfering with the stop by "getting up in the officer's face" so to speak, that in itself is grounds for charging with something along the lines of obstruction.
Use some common sense people. If you are going to be a jerk towards someone who has a rather crappy job to begin with, which few people respect, prepare to be treated like the jerk in return.
But in the end, none of us were there and have no idea what actually transpired. Other people more qualified than any of us will make the call on who was right and who was wrong.
I guess i should put what i said into better context....
I meant that, he had every right to check the guy out, and make sure it wasnt a gun or anything. But to say that it was illegal to take a picture was just...
Crenshaw
Bullzeyebill
Flashaholic
I think we do not know the complete story here. Not worth it jumping to conclusions based on a newspaper article. Need more info.
Bill
Bill
Marduke
Flashaholic
You can never judge a story based solely off the "victim's" perspective. Think about how. How many of them start off with "I was minding my own business when ____", and how often do you think that is actually the case??
jayflash
Flashlight Enthusiast
Granted, there may be two versions of this event, however, the police do work for us and we shouldn't have to exert undue caution in their presence. Of course, acting like a jerk and being disrespectful is asking for trouble.
Hopefully, this is just a rare incidence.
Hopefully, this is just a rare incidence.
"running up" "pulls something out from his pocket" "points it" "most likely shouting obscenities" "getting up in the officer's face" ??????????????
C'mon Duke, could you be any more speculative? It was a traffic stop so the guy might have just been sitting in his seat. Cell phones are easily recognizable and not often carried inside of a pocket, especially while sitting in a car. How exactly does one point an object that has no recognizable front? It's like being offended because someone points a ball at you. Why in the world would it be assumed that the dad sitting in the car was yelling obscenities. Most cars squad cars have dash cams these days and you can bet that if the man did anything that would have justified the officers lack of control, the tape would have been released to the public that same night.
As for the "crappy job, which few people respect" part goes, That's a common reversal plea used by some when sympathy is desired in cases such as this. Overwhelmingly, most police officers enjoy their jobs. They enjoy wearing the uniform because of the respect they get, not the lack of it. The pay is decent and the benefits and retirement are awesome. If you measure the respect and officer gets against "joe working class" they're treated like royalty. How much respect does your plumber get, or the clerk as the Circle K? How much respect does the guy in the cubical get or the guy who fixes the roads we drive on. In many ways the officer get more respect than the heros over in the dirt fighting for our freedoms. When a guy puts on the uniform and shield, he's works for the people of the state and is therefore responsible to act in accordance with rules and regulations passed onto him by the department. An officer with an aptitude to get angry because someone snapped his photo has no business being on the force.
It will be interesting to see what comes of this since the guy definitely has grounds for a wrongful arrest case. This kind of thing has happened before.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/338880_aclu09.html
dano
Flashlight Enthusiast
The article paints the picture of the arrestee, whose statements are based upon his side of the story. Since there is no "other side" presented by the news story, no presumptions can be made. My gut feeling: there's much more to the story.
Working at night, in a highly populated downtown area, I see cameras and phone-cameras pointed at me all the time. I also see the little red lights on the front of some cameras (I believe used with the auto focus) as well as camera flashes. Camera flashes will, almost always, get some attention. I don't know the origin of the flash, nor the person's motive.
Why people want to take pics while Officers are conducting police business is beyond comprehension; though I bet they want to get the next "Rodney King" on video.
As an example, some weeks ago, I was conducting an assault investigation. While we were speaking to the victim, some bystander and his video camera taped the whole incident, and he was bragging about it, how the Officers arrested the suspect in a manner the video guy did not agree with, etc. He was asked multiple times to stay out of the investigation, but he insisted on walking in between Officers, trying to interview the victim, and would not follow any orders to stay out of the scene. Well, he was taken into custody for delaying a police investigation and being intoxicated in public. And, his camera was seized for evidence (and for you anti-police people who don't believe in any sort of confiscation--he was given a receipt for it), as it may have contained footage of the fight/assault.
The morale of the story: stay out of the way. If you want a picture, click away, from a safe and non-interfering distance. Also, if you want a pic, just ask. The tourists, especially, always ask. Most others don't, and it can be a safety issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqecwN-GSr4
Working at night, in a highly populated downtown area, I see cameras and phone-cameras pointed at me all the time. I also see the little red lights on the front of some cameras (I believe used with the auto focus) as well as camera flashes. Camera flashes will, almost always, get some attention. I don't know the origin of the flash, nor the person's motive.
Why people want to take pics while Officers are conducting police business is beyond comprehension; though I bet they want to get the next "Rodney King" on video.
As an example, some weeks ago, I was conducting an assault investigation. While we were speaking to the victim, some bystander and his video camera taped the whole incident, and he was bragging about it, how the Officers arrested the suspect in a manner the video guy did not agree with, etc. He was asked multiple times to stay out of the investigation, but he insisted on walking in between Officers, trying to interview the victim, and would not follow any orders to stay out of the scene. Well, he was taken into custody for delaying a police investigation and being intoxicated in public. And, his camera was seized for evidence (and for you anti-police people who don't believe in any sort of confiscation--he was given a receipt for it), as it may have contained footage of the fight/assault.
The morale of the story: stay out of the way. If you want a picture, click away, from a safe and non-interfering distance. Also, if you want a pic, just ask. The tourists, especially, always ask. Most others don't, and it can be a safety issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqecwN-GSr4
