Take a picture, go to jail

Beemermark

Beemermark

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A photograph posted to Facebook as a joke — showing and identifying an undercover Toledo police officer — has resulted in two years’ probation for the man who snapped it.
After being found guilty Monday of misdemeanor obstructing official business, Jason Phillips, 38, of 1842 Fernwood Ave. was sentenced by Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Stacy Cook to the probation, including 30 days on electronic monitoring, plus 60 hours of community service.
 
If you read the newspaper account it is clear that this does not warrant the typical knee-jerk reaction we generally feel against the authorities. Here in Baltimore, there was a concerted effort by drug dealers to rat out all snitches, sometimes with deadly results, but mostly to spread some intimidation around.

I don't buy this guy's 'joke' explaination one bit.
 
Maybe I'm too European, but I don't get it.

If the police officer was undercover, why was he at the courthouse where the picture was taken? Did Jason Phillips know he was an undercover policeman? I'm missing essential information. The way I look at it, he took a picture, posted on Facebook and by doing so he outed an undercover cop - might be dangerous for the police officer, but unless he did it on purpose to hamper investigations, it hardly is a criminal act. But then again, maybe I'm top European.... 🙄
 
Phillips recognized the undercover officer while in the courthouse. He posted to his FB that he had and "all star snitch team".
Could be he had interactions with him outside the courthouse.
 
The newspaper account, to me, doesn't have the whole story. My bet is that the offender was deliberately trying to "out" the undercover officer. An act like that would deserve punishment.
 
ColSebastianMoran said:
The newspaper account, to me, doesn't have the whole story. My bet is that the offender was deliberately trying to "out" the undercover officer. An act like that would deserve punishment.
Click to expand...

I agree if that was his intention. I have rode with our police officers here, served in Nam, and would never be a cop. A simple traffic stop can be dangerous.

David
 
Yeh, from my reading of this, the guy was sentenced for publically identifying an undercover officer,
not simply for taking a picture of a policeman.

He endangered that cop and definitely inhibits him from continuing his job. Bad bad.
 
I have no sympathy for this fool either ... whatever he got he deserved. Facebook is the playground for a lot of twisted misguided individuals who shouldn't have been given an internet connection IMO. 😛
 
Yea, i know some people will want to call this a violation of his constitutional rights, but without more info, it is really hard to make that call. My interpretation is that he must have been into criminal activity and was taking the photo with the express purpose of outing this officer as such. I do not believe this was a photographer exercising his rights to photograph public officials, I think this was done in an attempt to either bring harm to this officer, or to "blow his cover" so that him or his gang could have an easier time thwarting the law while participating in illegal activities...

The proof is in the fact that he posted this officers full name and occupation. Had his intention been to make artful photographs, he would have had no reason to do so.

Just my 2 cents. And this is coming from someone who believes strongly in my right to photograph uniformed police officers, officials, and civilians, and does so on a regular basis. I would also stand up for anyone that was charged for doing the same, but this case has nothing to do with photography, or the constitution, at least not the way I read it.

Again, I could be wrong though. I don't have all the facts.
 
After eliminating acts of trespassing, violating the legal definition of privacy rights and false endorsement (advertising without permission), this is the first case I've read about where I feel the constitutional right of expression is clearly subordinate to subject's constitutional right to privacy.

Revealing the identity of an undercover officer who is inexcusable. The officer could have been killed in the line of duty due to this careless, thoughtless behavior.

I am not including cases of trespassing and
 
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