Photograph a cop, go to jail

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Taking photos of police officers could be considered a crime

The relationship between photographers and police could worsen
next month when new laws are introduced that allow for the arrest
and imprisonment of anyone who takes pictures of officers 'likely
to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of
terrorism'.
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Article here.
 
OMFG!!

I thought we had all the STUPID Politicians over on this side of the pond! Please note that I live in the land of Lincoln and Blagojevich, we've seen both extremes.

Being unemployed right now I would love to start a case about freedom of the press and the potential for abuses to be hidden from the public and the courts. Heck we have lots of examples over on this side of the pond. Several times in LA cops were caught on tape beating the crap out of some poor black guy. This would make my day having some fun with this.

B2 (;->
 
The blood it starts to boil...for countries that are constantly lecturing other people on democracy and free speech they seem awfully determined to blindfold and bound then hands of their own people. Hypocrites.... and I have taken lots of photos lots of photos of police or armed forces in China and never ever ever once have I been questioned or even given that look of impending trouble....my goodness what a time to be a terrorist...they really have won.
 
What a joke. The world leaders are trying very hard to take away freedom, and their scapegoat for this decade seems to be terrorism.
 
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Absolutely ridiculous law!

The only place I've travelled to where the police wouldn't let me photograph them was Iran, and that was because they are not allowed to appear in photographs rather than the photographer not being allowed to photograph them.
 
The loss of basic and fundamental freedom is astonishing in both its breadth & speed. Big brother is alive and watching...
 
Avotius said:
The blood it starts to boil...for countries that are constantly lecturing other people on democracy and free speech they seem awfully determined to blindfold and bound then hands of their own people. Hypocrites.... and I have taken lots of photos lots of photos of police or armed forces in China and never ever ever once have I been questioned or even given that look of impending trouble....my goodness what a time to be a terrorist...they really have won.
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Avotius:

I'd be a lot more careful if I were you. There is less than ZERO civil rights in China--especially for foreigners. There is no rule of law there or respect for humanity.

Bill
 
We need a "Photograph a Cop Day" to take place worldwide. Everybody and anybody, using everything from cell phone cameras to large format monsters. Take a photograph of every police officer seen and post them all on Flickr, Facebook, Photobucket, etc, etc. Don't stop taking photos as the police object and try to put a stop to it. Motor drives on SLRs and such - hammering away, a hundred photographers taking the same photo of the same cop, and all happening at the same time in a thousand places around the world.

Remembering that the police are not the enemy - they enforce the law as given. But they will not be happy, and the fallout will roll back up the chain - to the people who are doing this in the name of our mutual 'safety'.

It has to be done, but to be effective, it must be done out loud and en masse and worldwide.

And yes, some people will go to jail. Hope so, anyway.
 
Bill58 said:
Avotius:

I'd be a lot more careful if I were you. There is less than ZERO civil rights in China--especially for foreigners. There is no rule of law there or respect for humanity.

Bill
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Why? I didn't say anything against china, I actually said something for china! If you don't mind me asking, whats your line of logic in that comment to what I said?
 
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bmattock said:
We need a "Photograph a Cop Day" to take place worldwide. Everybody and anybody, using everything from cell phone cameras to large format monsters. Take a photograph of every police officer seen and post them all on Flickr, Facebook, Photobucket, etc, etc. Don't stop taking photos as the police object and try to put a stop to it. Motor drives on SLRs and such - hammering away, a hundred photographers taking the same photo of the same cop, and all happening at the same time in a thousand places around the world.

Remembering that the police are not the enemy - they enforce the law as given. But they will not be happy, and the fallout will roll back up the chain - to the people who are doing this in the name of our mutual 'safety'.

It has to be done, but to be effective, it must be done out loud and en masse and worldwide.

And yes, some people will go to jail. Hope so, anyway.
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you are 100% right. it is completely crazy to me how a country that will GO TO WAR to export a myth of "freedom" continues to step closer and closer to becoming a police state.
 
Avotius said:
Why? I didn't say anything against china, I actually said something for china! If you don't mind me asking, whats your line of logic in that comment to what I said?
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I don't why YOU are offended. Did I say that you said anything bad about China? I'm trying to give you some friendly advice. What's your line of logic in that comment to what I said? Forget/drop it-you are a little (a lot) confused.
 
Bill58 said:
I don't why YOU are offended. Did I say that you said anything bad about China? I'm trying to give you some friendly advice. What's your line of logic in that comment to what I said? Forget/drop it-you are a little (a lot) confused.
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.....im not offended...what brought this about? Im afraid you misunderstand! No where in my post did I say anything about being offended, I was just trying to understand what you meant by telling me that mentioning a nice thing about China would be grounds to have human rights and what not thrown down. I believe there is a misunderstanding here...I simply mentioned that never in the 5 years that I have been photographing in China even when photographing police or armed forces have I ever had a problem of any kind and how I thought that it was amazing that I would never have that problem here but in the euro/states who are always bashing China about rights and stuff that they would be so willing to remove said rights without "democratic" process.
 
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Avotius, your point is heard and registered. I'm not sure why people who live in the US or Australia or the UK are permitted to respond with disbelief and indignation, yet those in China are not :)

I was pulled over the Sunday after Thanksgiving while visting my parents in a small town in Minnesota, US. Apparently the day before someone at a bank called 911 on me for "possibly taking a picture of the bank." I didn't even have a camera. It wasn't pleasant, and the officer was unable to explain why it was even happening. I received no ticket, and yet after filing a complaint which was investigated by the deputy chief and mayor, was treated like it was my fault from the start. I didn't get arrested, but I grew up in a country where the police didn't harass people for no legal reason.

I took a number of actual pictures of banks in Portugal and Morocco the month before with no trouble at all. Ironic, I think, living in the "home of the free."

Have the terrorist won? Over my dead body.
 
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