Baltimore Police's Lack of Respect for Photographers Deserves Action

Recently, Baltimore City Police Department has released a memo to its officers to stop harassing photographers as a result of action from the ACLU and previously harassed photographers threatening to sue the city because of officers' behavior. To me, however, it comes off as a PR stunt and half-assed attempt to stave off a lawsuit.

Baltimore City Police Commissioner Bealefield hugs member  of the city's police force.
Recent actions by his officers raise doubts as to whether he can keep them in line. 

I have been approached by the police several times while shooting in places around Baltimore City, but, luckily, the encounters weren't with those officers who consider themselves "top-flight security of the world." According to the Law of Probability, however, it doesn't mean I won't run into some sooner or later. 

There is absolutely no excuse for the officers to behave in the manner they did. I'm going on a limb and say the officers in the video below are rejects who couldn't hold a night gig as clerks at a Kwik-E-Mart, let alone warm the seats at NASA or Morgan Stanley. I could be wrong, of course, and they're just acting on a well-held and enforced belief that they're above the constitution when it comes to carrying out their duties. 

If this is the first time it had happened I would just overlook it. But Baltimore PD...actually police in Maryland in general...is notorious for stamping on people's rights. You folks might remember the cowboy who sprung out of his unmarked car with his pistol drawn to arrest a speeding motorcyclist. Or the photographer who was harassed by transit police while taking pictures at a light rail stop. Or the photographer who was arrested, camera confiscated, and all the pictures erased during the Preakness race. 

There are many more instances which are not publicized. Last year as a group of us waited for the potential appearance of the Poe Toaster on the campus of the University of Maryland in Baltimore, a female university police officer approached talking on her cell phone, passed us without asking what we were doing, and proceeded to lock the gate that the curator of the Poe House and Museum had left open for the legendary gentleman who leaves a bottle of cognac and roses at Edgar Alan Poe's grave every January. When I took a picture, she threateningly retorted that I couldn't take her picture. Being one who never backs down when I know I'm right, I took her picture anyways, but we were baffled as to how someone affiliated with the university didn't know about the tradition. She could have at least asked us or called it in to see what the gathering was about. 

Ignorant University of Maryland police officer

When I was stopped another time while shooting with friends at the inner harbor, I took the opportunity to inform the Baltimore PD officer that a terrorist is less likely to carry a large camera and lenses to scout out the location. It's just not conspicuous enough. The attention I attract with my gear would be too discomforting to a terrorist scout. By the end, the officer was joking with us. I have to give credit to this officer, he wasn't threatening, barking out questions, or intimidating in any way...he was simply inquiring. This made us give him replies we wouldn't even have considered had he not shown us respect. In the end, both sides didn't have any wasted time and avoided creating a mess. 

Anyways, here's the video: 

Tweet

Share