Why did this policeman threaten to arrest me for taking his picture?

Question

He had a vehicle pulled over and I was across the street with a camera and a powerful lens. (300 MM) His partner walked across the street and told me "Turn off that camera and stop "or" I will bust your camera up and arrest you". I said "I'm on a public sidewalk 200 feet from you so I can do what I want". I showed him my ACLU card and my card from American Photographers of America and the policeman looked at it and walked away. Was I pushing it?

Answer 1

Nope.. they are public officials, and you were on a public street and you were not impeding their job.  You were fully in your rights.  In fact the officer most likely broke the law by threaten you.

"Who polices the police?"  

Answer 2

I would file a police report against these officers,they would have arrested you,and charged you with something had you given them the finger.Do not let them get away with it,they are arrogant  enough already.

Answer 3

They had no business even speaking to you unless you asked for help or they witnessed you committing a crime. I would complain to both the police department and contact your local news agencies as well as the ACLU. Those men were not acting as policemen, they were behaving as bullies. And that's just about the worst thing you can be.

Answer 4

No, you weren't pushing it. Those cops just have a chip on their shoulder. It gives a bad name to good cops. Sorry that you had to experience this.

Answer 5

Any particular reason why you follow the police around videotaping them whilst carrying your ACLU card?  Would you appreciate it if they followed you around while you did your job (assuming you have one)?  While you have every right to do what you did, it seems a bit snobbish.

Why were you videotaping them?  Maybe the cops were trying to respect the driver's right to privacy and save them from embarrassment.

Answer 6

ACLU?  You deserved the finger.

Answer 7

Any threat perceveived by a police officer could be considered a threat, I'm fairly certain, in a conserfative court.

For instance, d ope dealers use data bases to track future vice cops who are usually pulled from the rank and file beat cops.

Was the gentilman up for a "promotion" to sitting duck in the company of bad boys? He might have thus felt his life threatened.

ACLU? You guys used to ammount to something. Instead, now, a fellow like myself can literally wake up in a shallow grave next to the dying "too Liberal" judge who tried to stop the execution by politico cops and Store Employees vengefull of water theft ~ yes it's illegal to fill your coke bottle up at their fountain even if you plan to drink it in the parking lot...cause Liberals forced them to put the water fountain in and they resent it being that they sell water so anything they can call abuse they dooooo~ and they can shoot you for it in some certain conserfative jurisdictions Like Brewer Maine. Been there, in that ditch thank you ~ for absolutely no help at all. And I rang the Salvation Army Bell in front of that store (no I wasn't the one that would s it outside). And I have been a cop. And I was shot on the job, three occassions as police, once as State 'deputy game warden', narchotic detail. Help me? Noo Way!!!

So go suck an egg.

Card Carying member Wade Edward Hinson (de@dbeat daddy "law" forbids me to retain a lawyer, or pay dues, or gain from my own Trust funds...)

And you? What? You go about picturing cops not killing people?

Why?

Couldn't you find one passing summary judgement on a fellow officer? One who wouldn't take the bribe? Cause, hey, there are cops like that out there. And none of the honest cops like them, nore would morn their passing, via pertainant camera shot.

But that is the key.

You photo'd without pertainance a dangerous occupation in a time of war. People like me worked against d rug dealers with more money than stink and buddy they stunk pretty bad.

It was estimated that organized crime was 1/2 of the GNP in 1980 by the FBI. Extrapolate further that data, counting d ope as roughly half of organized crime and it's 5.11 trillion dollars today.

The guys that shot me on the job as "narchotics deputy game warden" (I have always refused to call our detail by the official tital), had US Navy issued gear right down to ceramic armor, and game warden issued gear, and Contra issued CIA gear ;.227 cal Russian SKS if I'm not mistaken started the bloodletting...). Today conserfatives pay policemen like me to die at the hands of payed political soldiers. One cop, shooting another cop who's ideology doesn't include selling d ope to the ghetto.

And you say you done right? Shame on you.

Guys getting killed and your making a scrapbook?

You should be in that feild, where Karen was shot, for defending the US Constitution, gathering evidence and not allowing the government to call me crazy or to say nothing ever happened.

But do I get help?