Freelancer calls for probe into arrest
BY BRIANNE DOPART, The Herald-Sun
November 16, 2006 9:09 pm
DURHAM -- Freelance photographer Julian Harrison and his lawyer want an internal investigation into his arrest for alleged "disorderly conduct" while taking pictures at the scene of a shooting earlier this month involving a Durham police officer.
Harrison, who occasionally sells photos to The Herald-Sun, was thrown up against a private car and arrested for alleged use of "abusive language" Nov. 3 while taking pictures in the parking lot of the Target store on Renaissance Parkway near Southpoint mall.
Capt. D.L. Dowdy initiated the arrest while Harrison was standing several feet beyond police crime scene tape.
The incident, which resulted in about $500 in damage to the car, occurred just two days after front-line supervisors, including lieutenants and sergeants, underwent training to learn how to deal with members of the media.
Harrison was taken downtown for booking. But Magistrate Eric Van Fleet declined to charge Harrison with a crime and immediately released him, saying the photographer was doing his job.
The Durham Police Department has said it is not conducting an internal investigation into Dowdy's conduct, and his immediate supervisor has dealt with the matter, said police spokeswoman Kammie Michael.
Dowdy was not involved in the media training, Michael said. She declined to provide more information, citing state personnel privacy laws.
Harrison and his attorney, Fred Battaglia, say they plan to request an internal investigation in hopes of showing a trend of ongoing abuse.
Harrison claims to have five videotaped incidents of himself allegedly being harassed and abused by Durham police officers while he was attempting to photograph or film breaking news in the past two years.
Harrison has been arrested at least eight times since 1994 and charged with 16 offenses, ranging from disorderly conduct to parking within 100 feet of a squad car, according to court records. He was found guilty of two. Harrison said he and Battaglia fought the rest, which were dismissed by the courts, at least one for insufficient evidence.
Harrison said he intends to fight this "assault and attack" with more intensity because he feels his right to work has been threatened.
Officer B.D. Schnee, who shot suspects Mikel and Kimberly Mobley in the Target parking lot as they allegedly moved their vehicle in an attempt to flee arrest for alleged pharmaceutical fraud, remains on paid administrative duty.
The State Bureau of Investigation and the Durham Police Department's Professional Standards Division are investigating -- normal procedure for a shooting involving an officer.
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http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/hsletters/
Editorial about Bradley was very condescending
Editorial about Bradley was very condescending
The late Ed Bradley was a gem. His effortless and unaffected delivery gave some of us a reason to still tune into "60 Minutes" on occasion. His sense of style made it possible for a man of his vintage to pull off wearing an earring with â??©lan while working alongside the blue-haired cretins of CBS.
I will never forget in years past when I contacted him to possibly show up for a fund-raiser that never quite got off the ground for lack of funds. He sent me a handwritten reply on a piece of paper with just the simple letterhead "60 Minutes" saying that he would be on assignment and regretted deeply that he could not attend. How many journalists of his caliber would have taken the time and the care for such a sensitive handwritten reply?
Your editorial on Nov. 12th was too condescending for my taste. Ed Bradley didn't miss a beat during his last reporting days as you attempt to imply. His very detailed and factual coverage of the Duke lacrosse fiasco only illuminated what your editorial staff doesn't want to hear. There are no "two sides" to this blood-letting hoax. Only one. And Bradley gave us what he has always given us right up to the end. Truth. And a lot of heart.
God bless you, Ed.
Debrah Correll
Chapel Hill
November 16, 2006