DC Police Chief Apologizes To Videographer For Harassment And Threats

November 29, 2011 @ 12:36PM

DC Police Chief Apologizes To Videographer For Harassment And Threats

Topics
News

Washington D.C. cops were more concerned with preventing a news videographer from recording the aftermath of a carjacking last week than they were in trying to find the suspect.

As a result, the carjacker is still at large.

But at least D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier apologized to photojournalist Alan Henney for the way her officers threatened him with arrest.

According to WTOP:

"There is no policy against videotaping in public space. This is a clear violation by our members and we will have it addressed - you have my apologies," (Lanier) wrote in an email to Henney.

Lanier also wrote the department "will continue to work with our members to ensure they are clear about what is and is not permissible."

Several times over the past year D.C. police have detained photographers and even confiscated a women's cell phone and deleted all her video after she recorded police making an arrest.

D.C. Police policy on videotaping states (emphasis not added) "News media members may photograph or videotape police officers performing their official duties. Officers will not physically block or cover the lenses of cameras or video taping equipment. Members in accordance with General Order 204.1 will not assist nor hinder camerapersons at scenes. Members will not bring the media into private residences as part of a crime scene or police raid. COURTS HAVE RULED THAT MEMBERS MAY BE HELD LIABLE TO CIVIL SUIT FOR SUCH ACTIONS."

Comments

SteelToad

5 months ago

I have a Constitution ... your argument is invalid

lobster

5 months ago

First rule of thumb when using a phone- password protect it!! Just another layer of protection against stuff being erased.

Bergman

5 months ago

Password protections prevent someone from accessing content through the phone's interface. But if someone hooks up the phone to an access device, or pops out the memory card and puts it into a computer, the password doesn't even slow them down.

All that assumes that the phone manufacturer doesn't have a backdoor installed for police use, in which case they don't even need to pop out the memory card to bypass the password.

Phone passwords offer no benefit except a false sense of security.

Joe Murray

5 months ago

So what was the result of the earlier episodes of interference with citizens? Not much, apparently. The point is to make recording police as troublesome as possible. Vindication later on is irrelevant; you were stopped at the time and inconvenienced and that is the intent.

nicmart

5 months ago

I don't like any government rules that given special dispensation to the "news media" or any "credentialed" journalists. The have no more rights than anyone else.

Murray D

5 months ago

Sure, you can take all the photos you want. But how about having a heart? This lady and her child just went through hell. Do we really need to put their photos in the media?

Freedom_Fighter

5 months ago

@murray, when she request help from those who are paid with tax dollars, she is making her affairs a matter of public interest. The lack of education in regards to what your rights are when out in public and how things are when you request governmental assistance is astonishing. If you don't want to be the subject of a news story, don't get the government involved.

joe

5 months ago

TV station resisting cop union's summons...Lawyers for KOB-TV say reporter is protected by state shield laws.

A lawyer for the Santa Fe police union wants a television reporter to reveal how he got a video of an incident that led to disciplinary actions against four officers.

KOB-TV's Gadi Schwartz aired a segment from a dashboard-camera video of two officers subduing a man in a Walmart parking lot last year.

Timothy White, a lawyer for two officers fired after the incident and two others who were suspended, maintains that someone in city government leaked Schwartz the video to manipulate public opinion.

An internal-affairs investigation cleared the police officers on charges of using excessive force, but after Ray Rael took over as interim police chief from Aric Wheeler, Rael suspended Champlin and Parsons without pay for three weeks and fired Baker and Cosban for falsifying reports of the incident. No punishment was meted out against Ramirez.

In June, White filed a civil lawsuit in state District Court on behalf of the officers against Rael, Deputy Police Chief Gillian Alessio, City Manager Robert Romero and the city, seeking to block the discipline.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/TV-station-resisting-cop-u...