November 24th, 2009 | 
Author: 
and LIE to them about the supposed illegality of taking pictures of trains from PUBLIC PROPERTY. This is yet another outrageous incident in which a cop exceeded his authority, invoked “homeland security” as a means of suppressing individual rights, and ruined a photo shoot.
According to the photographer:
I am really sick of people trying to tell me that I can’t take photos from public property, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I didn’t want to get arrested (although the resulting lawsuit would have helped me with my student loans!), I would have told the officer to call up DHS and let them explain the “law” to me, because I supposedly am breaking it every time I walk down the road and take a photograph of any building/ transportation related object/ cloud/ puppy/ or anything else that in some way might be considered to be a terrorist target.
It is no wonder that many railfans and photographers have come to fear, despise and distrust the authorities. Why can’t police simply enforce the written law instead of acting like bullies and making up laws with the intention to destroy legal hobbies and interfere with people’s rights?
Posted in Photography and the Law
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The officer in question was actually not too bad, he mostly was doing the “I don’t really want to do anything, but if anyone else comes on by they will want to find out what you are doing because DHS is curious about incidents of people taking photos of trains” and I didn’t have to give him any of my information. I did feel awkward about staying at the location though and ended up leaving as soon has he left.