Posted on 07/16/2008 3:18:48 PM PDT by BGHater
Nearly everyone carries a cell phone and it’s hard to find one without that camera feature. It’s convenient when you want to take that impromptu photo, but a Tri-Cities area man ended up behind bars after snapping a shot of a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop.
The cell phone photographer says the arrest was intimidation, but the deputy says he feared for his life.
“Here’s a guy who takes me out of the car and arrests me in front of my kids. For what? To take a picture of a police officer?” said Scott Conover.
A Johnson County sheriff’s deputy arrested Scott Conover for unlawful photography.
“He says you took a picture of me. It’s illegal to take a picture of a law enforcement officer,” said Conover.
Conover took a picture of a sheriff’s deputy on the side of the road on a traffic stop. Conover was stunned by the charge.
“This is a public highway,” said Conover.
And it was not a place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy as Tennessee code states. The deputy also asked Conover to delete the picture three times.
“He said if you don’t give it to me, you’re going to jail,” said Conover.
Under the advice of the Johnson County attorney, the sheriff would not comment and the arresting deputy said he didn’t want to incriminate himself by talking to us.
In an affidavit, the deputy said he saw something black with a red light which he thought was a threat. Conover was also arrested for pointing a laser at a law enforcement officer.
“At no time did I have a laser. I had an iPhone,” said Conover.
When you take a picture in the dark with Conover’s Apple iPhone, there is no flash or any light that comes from the phone that could be mistaken for a laser.
In a witness statement by a Mountain City officer, is says the deputy asked about the picture rather than looking for a laser.
“If you arrested me, wouldn’t you take the laser? If you arrested me, wouldn’t you take the camera?” said Conover.
He expects these charges to be dismissed.
“This guy maliciously arrested me, charging me with phony charges that he don’t even understand himself,” Conover said.
The American Civil Liberties Union would not comment on Conover’s case without fully reviewing the allegations, but told us there is no law that prohibits anyone from taking photographs in public areas, even of police. Taking photos is protected by the First Amendment. Conover is ordered to appear in a Johnson County court on August 6th.
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This cop needs to find a new line of work or at very minimum be put behind a desk.
Can cops wear masks in public?
Jiggers! It’s the grammar patrol!
While your statement is correct on its face, based on the actions that get everyone's knickers in a twist -- it isn't "COPs" that are the problem.
Back when (I know, eons ago) COP stood for Constable On Patrol and was a time when Protect and Serve was the order of the day for the local Police Officers that kept the peace. Now we have Law Enforcement Operatives -- with the emphasis on Enforcement. Protect and Serve has morphed into Coerce and Oppress, courtesy of the inJustice System and the demands of the politicians and lawyers for easy answers to societies problems. That the local LEOs tend to cover for their own when one of them does wrong only exacerbates situations like this, and gives the public more reason to disbelieve that the cop is there to help.
I come from a cop family, even they think some cops are jerks.
BTW, my 17 yr. old son was just arrested for loitering. He was standing outside of a car that had just run out of gas. It was just after midnight and his friend was driving him home. The police received a call about 2 black men in their neighborhood (both boys were white). The cops came and they explained the situation, everything seemed fine and then the next thing they knew they were cuffed and booked. By the time the whole process took place it was 5:30 am. At first I didn’t believe the story, so I let my son sit and stew a while and finally bailed him out. The other kid stayed longer and got to see the judge, the judge dismissed the charges saying they were ridiculous. We go to court on Aug. 20th.
What was that about paranoia?
In some states, that officer could be charged with “oppression under color of law.”
I’d like to see cops like this charged and brought to trial. It would put the rest of them on notice that they’re in the position to enforce laws, not write ad hoc laws on the spot.
It’s not paranoia if they really ARE out to get you! And it appears to be exactly that.
I lost respect for cops a long time ago when they started to be used by the state as tax collectors. Ever been on the interstate highway system on Labor Day or 4th of July weekend? Giving tickets to out-of staters even when they’re not speeding is a favorite passtime for cops (they know out-of-staters will never be able to show up in court). The traffic system is the most rife of conflicts of interest, with the money shaken down from you used to pay the cops, prosecutor, and judges, where you are guilty until proven innocent (the cop’s word is enough evidence to pronounce you guilty). Until this system is reformed, and ticket quotas no longer be required of cops, I will have nothing but contempt for all cops, even if only some of them abuse their power. I am sorry if this offends cops or cop families on this thread, but this is the truth.
so then I guess you think it makes sense to put their lives and indentities in jeapardy by allowing the possiblity of their faces plastered all over the internet?
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Get stuffed! We don’t have a “SECRET POLICE” here in the USA yet.
Uh ,I know that one ...Connover!
Same here, I was stopped for running a stop sign 10 feet from my driveway. I had been in my car all of 20 seconds before I was stopped. Utterly ridiculous.
I said 2 words the whole time (no and yes) to questions they asked. Learned a long time ago NOT to arque with armed men on the side of the road.
I will be fighting this ticket by the way. Absolutely impossible to run the sign like they claim.
It is the cops statements that are inconsistant with one another, but the "cops can do no wrong" crowd will never acknowledge that fact.
I'm curious as to whether boot polish is preferred as a main course, or does one use it as a condiment?
Does anyone understand a police state? Getting there.
Smarter than most............
If a cop is known to such a hitman by name then it's trivial to find him in the phone book, get to his house at night and do whatever hitmen do. (not that I remember many such events in real life, outside of books.)
If a cop is known by his badge number then it's probably a matter of a phone call (to thank him for salvation of your favorite cat, for example, or any other story) to find out his name.
If you are wronged by a cop then you may want to take his picture (to give to someone else.) But then the cop also knows you; this is not the case here.
But I don't see any scenario where a stranger would need to take a picture of an unfamiliar cop randomly met in the street. Unless the photographer plans to take pictures of all cops in the city, it's useless.
And besides, if anyone with half a brain wants to take photos of cops, it's much easier done by sitting in a car parked a good distance from the front door of the police department. Use a decent camera (not an iPhone) and you can photograph anyone from afar, the pictures will be good, and nobody will ever see you.
When in doubt, I always give the LEO the benefit of the doubt.
I'll make this as clear as I can: if this deputy thought that his life was threatened by a cell phone, he should be doing something else.
Based on what?
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