Anyone Else get hassled by the cops?

[noisycheese]

I tend not to comment on politics on line as quickly written comments all to often can be misconstrued. However the unfortunate incident described by the OP is deeply and profoundly political. It cuts straight to our basic rights as citizens.

End of rant.

My point exactly.

With regard to the John Birch Society, I don't really care what they think. I do care what the Founders of this nation thought and wrote, though.

The reality of the situation is this: America has a written Constitution and Bill of Rights that trumps the police, the judges, the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court and the White House. It's right there in black and white (Article VI of the Constitution).

When any political player - to include the police - violate the rights of the private citizen, they are breaking the law and need to be held accountable.
If they are not, we might as well not have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, which is pretty much the current situation.

Regarding autocratic socialist politicians - which is pretty much what we have running the show at present - they and their adherants always take umbrage at being called by their proper name.

In the end, it's not about left vs. right. It's about right vs. wrong. Individual liberty and freedom are right. Political oppression of citizens is wrong. Pretty simple stuff.

Done. 😀

 

[hipsterdufus]

I'll just add that both the left and right have some rather authoritarian tendencies in their history. Labelling what happened to the OP as a result of "socialism" in the federal government when this was clearly a result of a lone wolf bad cop seems to be conflating one incident with a desire to score a political point

 

[frank-grumman]

i cannot wait until I show up at Philly International, take up a few locations on Hog island road, and see the local gendarme's response to this:

http://www.sharpshooterindustries.com

 

[williams473]

Agreed that there is a general mistrust out there - probably fed by an over-indugence in global news. Even on a local scale, we have all seen 100s of murders play out (for real, to say nothing of the thousands of staged, recreated ones in movies and tv) on the evening news, and yet most of us are never involved in one. I have been detained twice in Pittsburgh - once while photographing the ball park (PNC Park) early in the morning. A cop took my license and escorted me inside to the security desk while they took all my info down and questioned me. Since I have nothing to hide I let them do their thing and went on my way. I suppose they were screening me for some sort of evil plot to attack PNC park, which is funny because there are far less conspicuous ways to shoot pictures than a big ole TLR and tripod, but hey, it gives them something to do. Also was "detained" by a guy on the street who gave me 20 questions and demanded I "delete" the images. Since he wasn't a cop I flat refused and told him the images are on film anyway and that as an American I have the right photograph anyone I please on the street. Then I smoothed it over by telling him I didn't take his photo anyway (which is true) but only after making my point. The whole time I was coiled and ready to duck/swing back, but it ended fine. People are just generally on edge these days - at least in the city. It's just part of street photography - you will be dealing with people who are unhappy and suspicious - part of the deal. You will also meet some amazing people and see things you would never have seen otherwise while making some good photographs...

 

[Gumby]

I got a lot more harrassment when I skateboarded than from photography.

I got more road rash when I skateboarded than harrassment. 😀

 

[Gumby]

...

Done. 😀

All that is fine, but what Willie 901 said in post #20 is the practical part of the conversation.

 

[Ranchu]

Today's Amerika is not the nation that my dad was blown out of a trench and almost killed by a German mortar round defending. It is not the nation his brother left the top half of his skull in the mud at Monschau for. Both these formidable men must surely be spinning in their graves over what this once great nation has become.

It's exactly the same nation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFskGTkW9m8&list=PL05AACC0A660D098E

 

[colyn]

There is nothing I can do about it

That's because you and a lot of other Americans are too lazy to do anything about it.. Instead, you vote the status quo and you allow bad police to stay on the force by not complaining loud and clear not just to the police dept but to the citizens..

It takes one person to get the ball rolling...

 

[Bigmonstertruck]

Officer, am I being detained? If so, on what grounds? No, I'm not being detained? Then I'll kindly move along. Oh, I cannot get on my way? Then by definition I'm being detained. So! Get your Supervisor here, Sir/Ma'am, oh, and I'll be writing down your badge # and I'll need YOUR name for the suit I Will file for unlawful detention. All the foregoing said in a calm, respectful manner. As to the issue of providing identification, some States require it just by virtue of the Stop; some States will require only that you provide your name verbally; other states have no such requirement. Obviously, your MMV. How did the encounter resolve itself?

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS: When you are standing in front of a cop, he is the law. All theory goes out the window. His version of the encounter is the one that will be the truth. If it is the choice between giving him my driver license or being detained for far longer than 15 minutes... well, you know what I did. My lawyer told me that cops do not have to tell the truth, and that they will trump up charges to make them "right." My experience bears that out. I did make my point, I did get name and badge number, but I was not going to threaten the cop. That would have been stupid. In my opinion, I have to do what would generally be considered reasonable. Refusing to turn over my license would not be considered reasonable. The detectives came to my door the next day, but I was not home. They told my wife to have me call one of them. I had my attorney handle it and he made it all go away. Thank G-d I have an attorney that I can trust. Seems like it is a done deal, issue closed, and I can go back to taking photos. There was some innuendo that they confused me for someone else.

 

[noisycheese]

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS: When you are standing in front of a cop, he is the law. All theory goes out the window. His version of the encounter is the one that will be the truth. If it is the choice between giving him my driver license or being detained for far longer than 15 minutes... well, you know what I did. My lawyer told me that cops do not have to tell the truth, and that they will trump up charges to make them "right." My experience bears that out. I did make my point, I did get name and badge number, but I was not going to threaten the cop. That would have been stupid. In my opinion, I have to do what would generally be considered reasonable. Refusing to turn over my license would not be considered reasonable. The detectives came to my door the next day, but I was not home. They told my wife to have me call one of them. I had my attorney handle it and he made it all go away. Thank G-d I have an attorney that I can trust. Seems like it is a done deal, issue closed, and I can go back to taking photos. There was some innuendo that they confused me for someone else.

@Bigmonstertruck,

What you say (above) is true. I know from personal experience. For those of you who have never had to deal with corrupt, lying "public servants" who wear badges and guns, give it some time. your turn is coming, particularly if you are a street photographer.

According to the courts, it's okay for cops to lie to the accused, but if the accused lie to the cops, they go to jail for it. Remember Martha Stewart? That was exactly what she went to jail for: Lying to cops.

A lot of cops and prosecutors - not all mind you, but a lot - do not care about the truth or about justice; they care about winning. When a person has power, they don't have to be inconvenienced with issues of honor, integrity and ethics. Grease the wheels, win any way you can, get that next promotion and the power and money that comes with it
( http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135976 ).

To top it all off, the police wonder why citizens do not trust and respect them and take umbrage that many citizens do neither.