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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Well then I guess McCloud and Lane should have smiled.
I don't know of a single cop who has a listed number.
Guess why?
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.
Agreed.
I suspect that Mr. Conover is guilty of little more than having an iPhone while black.
Somebody needs to read the General Statutes for the State of Tennessee to see if that is truly a fact.A fact which I doubt is true in any of the 50 states in the Union.
if that were the case a lot of news media types would be in jail for taking photo’s of the police.
I don’t suppose cops smile when they think it may be a driveby shooting.
Some cops, like this little fascist, deserve nothing but hatred and contempt from free men.
Incensed, I refused to pay the ticket, hired a good traffic lawyer, went to court, and got it thrown out. While testifying against me, the deputy told two outright lies, but the judge (who had her own liberal issues but could not find me guilty because of the law, even though she said she disagreed with it!) told him it wasn't enough.
Ever since then, I have had ZERO respect for county deputies, town cops, and even state troopers.
I am working in Artesia NM right now and it is the home of the TSA and BP training center. I overhead some trainees talking at a restaurant and learned the reason I get stopped so often is tinted windows. I have to park my car and drive for long periods in the sun.
Young is no excuse, and it is every police officer. They are being trained that cameras are a threat to "homeland security".
If the cops deserve it, what better place than Free Republic?
It's in the name, donchaknow.
Of course there is.
You must have been absent that day.
Join the club.
In this town, you would have wound up dead. Not necessarily right there, but certainly eventually.
Where have you been?
They already do that; just not while working "traffic".....yet.
Then maybe they should be careful and engage in police work instead of "Click It Or Ticket".
Law enforcement officers get their photographs taken all the time in public, on a daily basis. Just open any newspaper or news website involving crimes or crime scenes/LEO interviews etc.
But can we still video tape police brutality cases? They’ve certainly come in handy.
Perhaps you've struck upon the reason that they don't like being photographed....
No need for that - the first amendment of the constitution of the United States should suffice.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
I think it's pretty clear - freedom of the press. And the government doesn't get to choose who or what constitutes the press. Otherwise, the amendment's meaning is lost.
I was once arrested for rendering aid to victims at an accident.
Everything was sort of fine until the cops showed up.
Everything would still have been fine except the cops showed up before the EMTs.
I won't do that again.
It's much better to get photos of cops harassing citizens rather than photos of them belly-bumping their co-workers.
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