This exact thing happened to me this past Saturday night in Tampa. well not exactly.. but i will explain. I'm a pro photographer that works for the media including huge agencies such as Getty Images (mainstream) and Splash Media (paparazzi style). And I've had my photographs published all over the world.This past Saturday night there was a raid at a club i was shooting for ... and it was undercover cops busting underage drinkers. At first I didn't understand what was going on, then put 2 and 2 together quite quickly. I then stood outside on the sidewalk about 200 feet back from the "undercovers" (they were dressed in plain clothes), and proceeded to photograph them. I was snapping away as fast as my camera would allow, and one police officer came up to me and told me I was not allowed to photograph them as they were undercover. I told him that actually he was incorrect, because we were in a public area (public road, and public sidewalk), I was allowed to photograph anything in public. He basically threatened to arrest me if I kept photographing, and I told him that if he wanted to test that theory, I had someone across the road video taping the entire incident and I'd be willing to test that theory ... all the while I was on the phone dialing my lawyer.. just in case.This all happened within a 3 minute time period... as I truly did not want to go to jail, but the police officer (in plain clothes) did walk away once i said they were being video taped. I also did quit taking photographs from so close.. i just went back across the road and used my telephoto lens.To make a long story short.. i hate cops that hide behind their badges ... and my old man is a police chief... truly.. i hate him too.Oh, and i will be publishing the photos of the undercover cops. He can kiss my ass after being such a dick. The Internet is a powerful tool.
The problem with most cops is that they feel that they were handcrafted by God... in other words, they feel they can go around saying 'Respect mah authority' just for s**ts and giggles
@mike17032Police officers are law-enforcement. LAW. There is no law stating that any order given to you by a police officer is to be instantly and automatically obeyed. NONE. By the way, who's the bigger chickens**t? The guy who stands up for his rights, or the guy who does what he's told just because the person giving him the order has a tin star?
I think the best thing to do now that Digg has become so popular with the canon fodder is to have an IQ test before you get your approval email. Anyone below 109 doesn't get to play. It'll be an exclusionary thing: idiots like encomium who thinks a thread is a "story" won't get to play. And those of us who love to type one word sentences will. :)
@newI don't believe that that has any relevance to this argument. If you want to bitch about the war in Iraq go to a story that is actually about that and talk about it there.
mrwashyFeb 26, 2007
You apparently went the GED route...
blishFeb 26, 2007
This exact thing happened to me this past Saturday night in Tampa. well not exactly.. but i will explain. I'm a pro photographer that works for the media including huge agencies such as Getty Images (mainstream) and Splash Media (paparazzi style). And I've had my photographs published all over the world.This past Saturday night there was a raid at a club i was shooting for ... and it was undercover cops busting underage drinkers. At first I didn't understand what was going on, then put 2 and 2 together quite quickly. I then stood outside on the sidewalk about 200 feet back from the "undercovers" (they were dressed in plain clothes), and proceeded to photograph them. I was snapping away as fast as my camera would allow, and one police officer came up to me and told me I was not allowed to photograph them as they were undercover. I told him that actually he was incorrect, because we were in a public area (public road, and public sidewalk), I was allowed to photograph anything in public. He basically threatened to arrest me if I kept photographing, and I told him that if he wanted to test that theory, I had someone across the road video taping the entire incident and I'd be willing to test that theory ... all the while I was on the phone dialing my lawyer.. just in case.This all happened within a 3 minute time period... as I truly did not want to go to jail, but the police officer (in plain clothes) did walk away once i said they were being video taped. I also did quit taking photographs from so close.. i just went back across the road and used my telephoto lens.To make a long story short.. i hate cops that hide behind their badges ... and my old man is a police chief... truly.. i hate him too.Oh, and i will be publishing the photos of the undercover cops. He can kiss my ass after being such a dick. The Internet is a powerful tool.
dinobotFeb 26, 2007
The problem with most cops is that they feel that they were handcrafted by God... in other words, they feel they can go around saying 'Respect mah authority' just for s**ts and giggles
intothewiredFeb 26, 2007
@mike17032Police officers are law-enforcement. LAW. There is no law stating that any order given to you by a police officer is to be instantly and automatically obeyed. NONE. By the way, who's the bigger chickens**t? The guy who stands up for his rights, or the guy who does what he's told just because the person giving him the order has a tin star?
thethreshFeb 26, 2007
I think the best thing to do now that Digg has become so popular with the canon fodder is to have an IQ test before you get your approval email. Anyone below 109 doesn't get to play. It'll be an exclusionary thing: idiots like encomium who thinks a thread is a "story" won't get to play. And those of us who love to type one word sentences will. :)
Closed AccountFeb 26, 2007
"Then you are a sick monster for enjoying the fact that a human being has just died."Kind of like the sick f**ks running the army right now, huh?
demonotakuFeb 27, 2007
@newI don't believe that that has any relevance to this argument. If you want to bitch about the war in Iraq go to a story that is actually about that and talk about it there.
smokecheckMar 1, 2007
They can film us with their security cameras but we can't film them...Welcome to the the Police State. WAKE the f**k up SHEOPLE !!
Closed AccountMar 9, 2007
The War In Iraq Sucks.