Photography is not a crime

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RocketCowboy

Senior Member
STM said:
A lot of things changed in our country after 9/11/01. Federal Courthouses and other buildings can become targets for terrorists. And not just of the Arab persuasion, look at Timothy McVeigh. One need only look at what a royal pain in the butt it is to fly nowadays.
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Oh, I understand and agree completely. Multitasking and trying to control my long windedness, I don't think I completed my thought stream. Point being, just as being on a public street doesn't making filming what the photog saw illegal, it also means anyone can approach him and question what he's doing. Now beyond that, detention or possible arrest, that's where the law takes over.
 
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Blacktop

Senior Member
robbins.photo said:
Or at the very least, tazed. I mean what is the world coming to when you can't even get tazed anymore? Lol
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I think cops are way too quick to reach for that tazer nowdays. Granted it's much better then reaching for the pistol, but some of these asshats seem to enjoy it a little too much.
I don't have the kind of respect for these clowns that I used to.
 
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WeeHector

Senior Member
I had run-ins with the cops a couple of times for filming/taking photos. The first was on the day I bought a new camcorder and took it into the garden to try it out. There was a stop sign outside my house which many drivers did not respect and the cops pulled up two cars. The first driver was given the full workover but the second was obviously some official who was friendly with the cops and they stood chatting. When they noticed I had the camcorder, they obviously took fright and came over, threatening me with all hell if I didn't stop recording.

The second occurred one day in Belgium. I was sitting in my car in a station carpark and occasionally getting out to take photos of passing trains. Some busybody obviously called the cops and they asked me what I was doing. When I explained, they informed me that I could take photos of trains from the platforms but not from the carpark as it was a "strategic site". Mind you, this was just after the Marc Dutroux murder trial when the country was suspicious of everything. I stopped my car on a country road to look at the map and found myself staring down the barrels of a shotgun held by a farmer who wanted to know why I had stopped. :distress:
 
Woodyg3

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
Jerks on both sides of the camera. The photographer was pretty clearly ready for a confrontation. The crazed cop over-reacted and disregarded the law.

That said, I understand the photographer being defensive, and I understand the cop being fed up. The photographer really was minding his own business, and cops have to put up with all kinds of jerks with an attitude all the time. Plenty of blame on both sides, but IMO, the cop needs to be the one who rises above and does the right thing. That's his job, no matter how annoying and disrespectful "citizens" can be.
 
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iamntxhunter

Senior Member
There are a lot of post on here that kind of reflect a sense of obligation to provide this abusive officer with information that legally he has no right to. The officer is a liar and a manipulator in the video clip and used both to try and get what he wanted that was outside the limits of the law.

I am not one to pursue something as a official complaint but I do believe in this instance I might have filed a official harassment charge and possibly an assault charge on this officer. This is about freedom and free speech which this officer seemed to be annoyed as the photographer was exercising his.
This doesn't fly to well in Texas. I say kudos to the guy for standing up for his rights.
 
Browncoat

Browncoat

Senior Member
I would've filed a complaint against this so-called "supervisor". Perhaps some administrative leave would adjust his attitude, but I doubt it.

I keep searching news sources for a follow up on this, but haven't seen anything yet.
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
It is an interesting topic and a great discussion. It would have been interesting to see if he had provided ID and answered questions if they would have left him alone or pushed it further.
 
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