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Illegal to photograph police officer in TN?
A Johnson County sheriffâs deputy arrested Scott Conover for unlawful photography. See the full TriCities.com article here. John Scott Conover, 70120/ Disorderly Conduct/ Dep McCloud, 70121/ Pointing a Laser @ an Officer, 70122/ Unlawful Photography From TheTomahawk.com Court Report page. PATROLMAN KEN LANE AND MYSELF STOP THE VEHICLE TO CHECK. THIS OFFICER ASKED THE MALE SUBJECT TO HAND OVER THE CAMERA OR TO DELETE THE PICTURE. THE MALE SUBJECT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING AND GOT IRATE. THIS OFFICER ASKED FOR THE MALE SUBJECTS NAME HE STATE IT WAS JOHN SCOTT CONOVER. THIS OFFICER ASKED MR. CONOVER TO DELETE THE PICTURE TWO MORE TIMES, From NYCPhotoRights blog. Jul 15 08 09:13 pm Link just read this, he was using his camera phone, This was during a traffic stop in with the subject was stopped and decided to get out of his car and take a photo of the officer i would have arrested him too Jul 15 08 09:16 pm Link Thats the point I was trying to make in a thread the other day, there are enough "vague" laws on the books, they can fit you into them one way or another if they want to nail you. Be it "disorderly conduct", disturbing the peace, breach of peace, hindering an investigation etc, etc, etc. Jul 15 08 09:18 pm Link What's this World coming to????? Jul 15 08 09:19 pm Link Kevin_Connery wrote: A Johnson County sheriffâs deputy arrested Scott Conover for unlawful photography. See the full TriCities.com article here. John Scott Conover, 70120/ Disorderly Conduct/ Dep McCloud, 70121/ Pointing a Laser @ an Officer, 70122/ Unlawful Photography From TheTomahawk.com Court Report page. Do you need anymore proof that cops are jackasses. Jul 15 08 09:21 pm Link zoom lens from distance............I was told I couldn't shoot a set of flags while I was on property, so I went to the street (public road) and shot them, freedom baby, a key note, it's an American flag i was shooting !!!! Jul 15 08 09:23 pm Link There is only one direction this thread will go. Please share all your cops shit on me stories with everyone. Jul 15 08 09:24 pm Link I looked this up after being followed by the local police for no reason. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,284075,00.html Jul 15 08 09:25 pm Link I'm not surprised. As more & more police misconduct has come to light, they've become paranoid about public scrutiny of their work. While the VAST majority of cops are decent, there're plenty of bad apples who'll engage in conduct like this to cover up their wrongdoings. Jul 15 08 09:32 pm Link Zopilote wrote: I think everyone understands the "cops shitting on me" stories are the minority of situations, I personally feel like discussing it brings about awareness of a problem that in my oppinion is growing with every passing day, not declining. Jul 15 08 09:34 pm Link KGToops Photography wrote: The subject of the stop didn't get out of his car and take the picture...the guy taking the picture was driving by the traffic stop... Jul 15 08 09:41 pm Link Zopilote wrote: One time, a cop stopped me in a park late at night while I was taking pictures. He asked me what I was doing. I told him I was taking pictures. He liked them. I walked home when I was done. Jul 15 08 11:56 pm Link The reporter uncovered and duly reported probably the most telling of statements: "Under the advice of the Johnson County attorney, the sheriff would not comment and the arresting deputy said he didnât want to incriminate himself by talking to us." The "us" being WJHL news. Didn't want to incriminate himself? You mean like for false arrest; or maybe making a false statement in his recording of the arrest? It boggles the f**king mind what he thought he was up to. Studio36 Jul 16 08 12:10 am Link studio36uk wrote: The problem is, and why I think its an increasing problem is because more and more people back down, more and more vague laws are passed they can use as a weapon against practically anyone, and more and more people do NOT understand their rights and what is actually legal or illegal. Jul 16 08 12:18 am Link CGI Images wrote: The actual complaint is here but helpfully the 3 TN laws involved are cited in full after the first page: Jul 16 08 12:23 am Link CGI Images wrote: Que? Jul 16 08 12:30 am Link studio36uk wrote: Thats handy info, the part they use and gets me is the "act that serves no legitimate purpose" how much more subject to opinion can you get.? Jul 16 08 12:30 am Link sometimes I'MM kinky wrote: I was saying if you take all of the accounts of photographers here on mm that have had bad experiences of some level with law enforcement. And then think about what a very small percentage of photographers we are, that makes the percentage of photographers in general that have had run-ins pretty high. Jul 16 08 12:34 am Link CGI Images wrote: OIC Jul 16 08 12:35 am Link I read the affidavit posted earlier in the thread, and my (admittedly non-lawyer, but relatively informed layperson's) opinion is that the officer is going to have a hard time defending this one in court. The unlawful photography charge is actually "Unlawful photography in violation of privacy", and only applies to pictures taken "when the individual is in a place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy" AND when "the photograph would offend or embarrass an ordinary person if such person appeared in the photograph; and [the photograph] was taken for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal of the defendant". In other words, the unlawful photography statute is designed to prevent people from snapping peep-shots in locker rooms, bathrooms, through people's bedroom windows, etc. Based on that, once the unlawful photography charge disappears, I think the disorderly conduct charge would likely go with it. That leaves only the "pointing a laser at a law enforcement officer" charge, and the requirements for proving that charge (on page 3 of the affidavit) would be tough to prove, I think, especially given that the iPhone doesn't use a laser beam and the statute says specifically "laser beam" and not "bright red light". I fully expect that, when this affidavit hits the district attorney's office, it will be dismissed in the hope that such dismissal prevents a lawsuit against the county, the police department, and the officer. Jul 16 08 04:19 pm Link CGI Images wrote: Yes but then you have to consider how many on mm, depreview, and flickr are just bumbling idiots with cameras who are looking for a fight and are outspoken when they find one - and those stats you posted come back down into normal ranges. Jul 16 08 04:22 pm Link Kevin_Connery wrote: You can make a pretty good living representing people on BS charges like this. Jul 16 08 04:25 pm Link Chris Addams wrote: One time I was here downtown in a huge parking lot at night taking pictures with a pinupish model infront of the skyline. Cops were going by all the time and no one stopped us in the 30 min we were there to see what we were up to. Jul 16 08 04:28 pm Link UK police harrasment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKl2sEN4yNM Jul 16 08 04:28 pm Link 9/11 has made a lot of changes in the USA. Photographers have had their rights taken away from them. Just look at the news. I've had a few cases of being asked to delete photos shot in public places recently also. Jul 16 08 04:30 pm Link If you read the statutes attached to the citations..... There is little doubt that these charges will be tossed out. But not until the state and the citizen waste plenty of cash. Jul 16 08 04:49 pm Link Chris Macan wrote: As long as they are paying their lawyers.......it ain't wasted! Jul 16 08 04:54 pm Link Brooklyn Bridge Images wrote: Those two are not even "real" police. Jul 16 08 05:03 pm Link studio36uk wrote: Do they have arrest powers? Jul 16 08 05:07 pm Link I'm a cop in TN, and have been photographed (and filmed) at more crime scenes than I care to think about. I could care less. From the statements in the article, I think the county administrators already know this one is going to be a lawsuit. Jul 16 08 05:09 pm Link Minneapolis Fashion wrote: The real idiots are the one's who miss the point of this thread. Jul 16 08 05:10 pm Link KGToops Photography wrote: Why would you have arrested him? Just for having the audacity to take a picture? Jul 16 08 05:10 pm Link How funny, here in CA the local "MAN" was raiding a house next to mine. I took out my video camera and started recording, as they were leaving one of the patrol cars stops right in front of me and shines his bright ass spot light(it was about 11pm) in my camera and asks if i am making a documentary, i simply replied, no, but someone has to keep an eye on the cops too. He said thats cool, and drove away. He shined the light in my camera so i wouldnt get his face on cam. side note..I am going to the academy next month or so!  cant waitJul 16 08 05:11 pm Link Jul 16 08 05:12 pm Link Minneapolis Fashion says... "So yeah, I think most of the "cop problems" are from idiot photographers trying to be asses and push buttons." Obviously you have just the right color skin. As a Puerto Rican man in a predominantly white area, I was constantly harrassed by the Good Ol' Boys of the Bradenton police department here in Florida. The more polite I was, they simply took it as a sign of weakness and would harrass me to the point of embarrasssment. (On my knees with my hands on my head on the side of the road, hands on the car, etc.) After moving to the next town of Sarasota, it hit the news that the entire Bradenton DEA department was under indictment for pullng over and ROBBING Mexicans!! As well as planting evidence and participating in drug sales. Twenty years later, I can say I haven't had a problem lately but the assumption that any harrassment by police officers is brought upon by the individual is not only wrong but extremely ignorant. Jul 16 08 05:14 pm Link HHHMMM, obstructing a roadway would be a more appropriate charge. But I would be concerned in todays environment as well if a vehicle stopped, pointed an object, then went past, turned, and came back by. I've had someone try to kill me, and it makes you cautious. Jul 16 08 05:14 pm Link Minneapolis Fashion wrote: lmao.... Jul 16 08 05:15 pm Link CGI Images wrote: QFT Jul 16 08 05:21 pm Link I suspect that the man WANTED to get stopped like this and then file a lawsuit. While I feel that the guy didn't violate any law (and that by demanding the man delete the pictures, I do feel that the the police officer did), I also feel that any lawsuit that gets filed should be thrown out, as it seems pretty clear that the man was fishing for a lawsuit. Jul 16 08 05:24 pm Link studio36uk wrote: Step 1: File suit. Jul 16 08 08:21 pm Link |
