NYPD back to harassing photographers

November 10, 2009 @ 3:12PM

NYPD back to harassing photographers

By Carlos Miller -...

This photo got a pair of photographers detained by NYPD for two hours/Photo by Chetan S.

These officers apparently never got the memo that states that photography is indeed legal on the streets of New York City.

The memo, officially titled an “operations order,” was issued to New York City police officers last April after numerous incidents of cops harassing photographers. It states that officers are not allowed to delete images or confiscate cameras, unless they are used during the commission of a crime.

It obviously went unread by the six NYPD officers who detained a pair of photographers last week after one of them photographed the above door in Brooklyn. The door leads to an MTA subway vent.

The responding police officers referred to it as a “sensitive subject.” Pictures of that same door, and others like it, can be found by a simple Google search.

The photographers, Steve Kelley and Chetan S., said that the officers looked through their photos before taking them to the department for further questioning. They were released two hours later.

Kelley also said that a few days earlier, another NYPD officer seized his camera as he was taking pictures in Times Square, going through his images and telling him that his pictures sucked.

Comments

Anonymous

2 years ago

“…officers are not allowed to delete images or confiscate cameras, unless they are used during the commission of a crime.”

Why would they ever delete photographs? If the photo was taken during the commission of a crime, wouldn’t it be evidence? Or do they just erase the photo and consider the case closed and let you go?

Anonymous

2 years ago

Honestly, what could you get from taking a picture of a publicly viewable door that you couldn’t get from Google Street View? Better detail of the pee stain from the hobo who leaned up against the wall the night before?

Anonymous

2 years ago

Simon Jester: are you serious? or are you trolling? Do you even own a camera? or do you only ever go on vacation to places that have documentaries and picture books made of them?

If i was in new york and that door was the only splash of color on that street i’d probably take a picture as well.

And to answer your original trollish question: “practice”

Anonymous

2 years ago

genewitch,

I’ll paraphrase an old adage that adds to your comment: its better that the ignorant keep their mouths closed, than open their mouths and prove how truly ignorant they are.

Practice was a good answer.

Anonymous

2 years ago

genewitch
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the point