By Carlos Miller
A British photographer who was arrested while photographing police two years ago finally was able to access the photos he took that day. Below is one photo that lead to his arrest. Many other photos are posted on this site, along with detailed background about his case.
There was a time when British police would not even carry guns on them, much less rapid fire machine guns with deep magazines. Those were the times when photographers ruled the streets of London.
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Fernandez, as I mentioned in a
8 responses so far ↓
1 Ms Calabaza // Apr 8, 2008 at 6:41 am
Let me play devil’s advocate:
Can you see the other side of this story? These guys are dealing with terrorist threats, they have to be totally stressed out to the max . . .
Good pictures by the way.
2 Carlos Miller // Apr 8, 2008 at 8:17 am
Ms C,
But how does photography equal terrorism?
I have never heard of terrorists arming themselves with cameras and taking photos before committing an act of terrorism.
3 Ms Calabaza // Apr 8, 2008 at 9:41 am
Agreed, but haven’t you ever lashed out at another person, perhaps someone you care about because you were totally stressed out?
I don’t think these guys think the photographer is the “bad guy”, just someone who is in the way.
Remember, I’m on your side on this I just want to see if you can relate to their state of mind.
4 enhager // Apr 8, 2008 at 1:13 pm
You should curate a show in Miami, that could travel of course, on the photos taken just before a photographer is arrested (and harassed by ordinary citizens - the motif of the hand over the lens is great). I t would generate lots of interest, press and you could get at least a few of the photogs to fly to Miami. It would be some work, but enlist your artsy friends. This, my friend, is a good idea.
5 Carlos Miller // Apr 8, 2008 at 4:31 pm
enhager,
That is a great idea, only I wouldn’t even know where to begin how to curate a show. Maybe I’ll ask my artsy friends.
6 FerfelaBat // Apr 10, 2008 at 3:33 pm
When we lived in Arizona, my husband was working on a case that took several years to complete. When they raided the “bad-guy” home and business, they found photos of all of our cars, cross-ref license plates to home addresses, cros-ref photos of our homes, us, our kids, etc. Now. You may not understand why law enforcement would prefer not to have their photo taken on duty, potentially to be posted in a paper or public forum. Chances are you haven’t been stalked by bad people with a 10 to 50k contract offer on your life and each member of your family. I don’t expect you to understand the fear, but you will, hopefully one day, take that very reasonable fear into consideration when next you crusade to make your point with a photograph.
The stories I could tell you …
That does not look like your ordinary street cop in London.
7 Carlos Miller // Apr 10, 2008 at 9:24 pm
FerfelaBat,
I understand that fear. When I used to work in Arizona, there were several times I was tipped off about a raid before it happened.
One of the agreements was that I didn’t publish any photographs of the undercover cops.
Contrary to what many people might believe, I am willing to work with the cops.
If I am taking photos of cops on the street, I welcome the cops to come up to me in a courteous manner and ask me why I am taking their photos.
I am happy to provide my ID, so they can call my name in and see that the only recent blemish on my record is a misdemeanor arrest back in February.
Other than that, there might be a couple of other misdemeanors from my wild youth.
A lot of the problems with cops is many of them tend to have an arrogant and bullying personality when dealing with civilians.
8 genewitch // Apr 15, 2008 at 10:56 am
ferfelabat, the problem you describe has nothing to do with photography, and more to do with the slowly grinding gears of the legal system. Corruption allows for criminals to run amok while their minions take photographs of everyone.
You have to be aware, the police officers made a choice to be police officers. They weren’t forced to enter that profession. Does this make sense? Is this clear? Your husband CHOSE his line of work. You chose your husband. You chose to have children with your husband who has a high risk job.
I don’t want to get shot at or hit with rockets, so i didn’t join the military. I don’t want to serve fast food, so i don’t apply for jobs at taco bell or mcdonald’s.
I’m really sorry to have to put this bluntly… But the constitution, bill of rights, and all the other amendments are MUCH MUCH more important than you, your husband, your children, Carlos, me, bill gates, and president bush.
I’m truly sorry that you had to experience that horror of discovering that photographs had been taken. I’m glad that no adverse actions were taken against you or yours.
But to suggest that it’s okay to freak out on photographers, camera operators, digital recording users… just because “THEY MIGHT USE IT FOR BAD” is a slippery slope. Go ask a middle-easterner how they feel about being judged by law enforcement. Go ask a black or mexican in los angeles.
To be treated as a criminal by police officers when you are doing something covered by the constitution of the United States of America is ridiculous. It’s ILLEGAL. It’s freaking criminal. and there is NEVER an excuse. Citizens do NOT have to bend to the police rules. The police rules must bend to the citizens. or the police are out of a job. Period.
i would rant more, but this isn’t my blog.
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