Another warning on photographer's rights...

[bmattock]

Again, without wanting to raise political ire - I am NOT criticizing anyone's political system or beliefs!

Police Search Photographer - UK News

Police Used Anti-Terror Laws to Search Photographer

By David Barrett, PA Home Affairs Correspondent

Police officers stopped a professional photographer taking pictures of the Houses of Parliament and searched him under anti-terror powers, it emerged today.

Freelance snapper Lawrence White – who works for some of Britain’s top companies – was told to move on or face arrest after police searched his pockets and camera bag.

Civil liberties campaigners said the incident was further evidence of the way rogue police officers are using anti-terrorism powers to intimidate members of the public.

And please folks, no "I hate country XXX's leader and laws and yada yada" if you please. I am posting this as a point of discussion that a) our rights as photographers are slowly breaking down and b) a warning to use caution in where you go and what you point your camera these days.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

[back alley]

thanks bill, i appreciate your sensitivity to this issue.
i know i have become more aware these days of what i shoot.

i have to admit though that 2 weeks ago i spent a couple of hours at our provincial (like state) legislature grounds shooting some pics for a friend and no one seemed to give me a second look.
i wonder how long this will last?

joe

[GeneW]

It's a hard one, isn't it? You don't necessarily want to tangle with the police, some of whom may actually think they're doing a good job, but if you don't stand up for your rights, you lose them...

Gene

[RayPA]

Thanks for the post. Things have changed.

[DougK]

Being the tree-hugging liberal that I am, I am increasingly alarmed at the increasing number of stories I hear/read on this and other civil rights issues. However, I can't help but wonder if these photographers who are getting hassled are giving off behavioral cues (knowingly or unknowingly) that are causing the police to check them out more closely. I pretty much go anywhere with my camera and shoot whatever I want, no hassles to date. I make it very obvious what I'm doing, nothing hidden or furtive about my movements. Maybe it has more to do with my usual carry camera being an Olympus XA which looks like a crappy tourist point-and-shoot, I dunno.

Anyway, I'm not necessarily defending the police on this issue but it it something to think about when we read these stories.

[rbiemer]

From reading the article I get the impression that the male officer was showing off for the three younger women. The short term solutin for this photographer would seem to be to get some credentials from the parliment magazine he works for. The long term solution is to elect people to parliment who will repeal that vague law. That will take some serious outrage on the part of the public. And here in the US we have the HSA that's similarly vague and the public here mostly couldn't care less. Maybe when we start getting barcodes tatooed on us "for secutrity" that might get their attention. But I'm not hopeful.
Rob

[rbiemer]

Originally Posted by dkirchge

Being the tree-hugging liberal that I am, I am increasingly alarmed at the increasing number of stories I hear/read on this and other civil rights issues. However, I can't help but wonder if these photographers who are getting hassled are giving off behavioral cues (knowingly or unknowingly) that are causing the police to check them out more closely. I pretty much go anywhere with my camera and shoot whatever I want, no hassles to date. I make it very obvious what I'm doing, nothing hidden or furtive about my movements. Maybe it has more to do with my usual carry camera being an Olympus XA which looks like a crappy tourist point-and-shoot, I dunno.

Anyway, I'm not necessarily defending the police on this issue but it it something to think about when we read these stories.

Ummm.. the photogs are asking for it? That's never an excuse. This specific photographer certainly wasn't sneaky--he asked the officers if he could take their picture.
The cops are in a tough spot here for sure but how they choose to enforce these bad laws is just that-their choice. I don't mean to enforce or not(that would be a sifferent discussion) but the choice to treat the public well or poorly. The vast majority make the better choice and I belive that those few officers who don't would be knuckleheads no matter what their occupation.

[cbass]

IMO, in these dark times any photogs who shoot street now owe it to themselves to become familair with any local laws/ordinances/regualtions which may impact their work. This kind of vague harrassment is going to continue until we elect a sensible government or until ordinary folks stop being cowards.

And what makes photographers a target? Would cops behave the same way to an artist painting the Houses of Parliament with oils & canvas working at a portable easel? I doubt it.

[DougK]

Admittedly, I posted before I read the linked article (in true Slashdot fashion). In this specific case, the cop was clearly being an idiot and should be subject to remedial training and forced to officially apologize to the photographer.

Don't misunderstand me, I never meant to imply with my original post that photographers in general are asking to be hassled. Far from it. It is possible, however, that in some cases for some reason the photographer's behavior, mode of dress, whatever, is making them stand out enough in some way that, combined with the unfortunate increase in officially sanctioned paranoia these days, is resulting in drawing unwelcome police attention. That's all I'm suggesting with that statement, nothing more.

Incidentally, one of my departmental vice-presidents asked me what I was doing with a camera at work and told me I'd better read my employee handbook because they aren't allowed on the premises. I checked, there's no such rule stated anywhere in the handbook. In fact, I had my camera bag searched on the way in to work for security screening day just an hour or so before and our security guards, who are actually federal police officers, didn't even blink an eye at the camera, just told me to "get some nice pictures at lunch." Rbiemer, you are correct, knuckleheads are everywhere

So while I have never been hassled by the cops or anyone else for shooting photos in public or told I could not do so, I have been on the receiving end of the post-9/11 paranoia in other ways and have great sympathy for others in that position. I merely wanted to suggest that perhaps there are things we do that draw attention to ourselves and maybe there are things we could do to minimize that.

[Penguin_101]

I was in Downtown STL shooting the arch and old courthouse and there were police/NPS everywere and they could care less that I was taking pictures. I guess it depends where you are.

[richiedcruz]

Yesterday afternoon, I was out with my camera going for a walk, enjoying the nice spring weather and out of nowhere a cop car going all out in total code three fashion. BTW, the town where I live is a small one and the street that this cop was going down was in a residential with a speed limit of twenty-five miles an hour, with kids out playing and everything.

I keep walking and I see the same cop car plus one other blocking the road. When I get closer, I see a truck with a broken back window, glass on the ground, the cop, plus a woman giving a statement. Without thinking, I raise my Hi-Matic 9 up to my eye and snap a single frame. This is when the cop got all freaked out.

She screamed out, "hey! Who are you! What are you doing here!" The witness she was talking to said that I was not the person who had broken the window, but the cop still insisted in halting the interview, asking for my license and taking down all my personal information. This was after I explained to her that I was just out for a walk, and she explained to me that that made me even more suspicious to her!

Anyway, even though my home town is in the supposedly uber-liberal SF Bay Area, I have come to expect this sort of thing. Small towns seem to be breeding grounds for the Barney Fife type of cop.

Richie