OK...one last post on here for me to clear some things up.
First off, I do have a stressful job, but I do it because I love it. Not everyone loves their job, so I am happy to be one of the few. Second, like most people with stressful jobs, we find hobbies to step away from work when we have free time. This is my hobby. I do it to forget about work. As you might be able to imagine, I see things on a regular basis that the general public never sees. Because of this we do things to get away. This post is my fault for combining my hobby with my work. I should not have done it. I will combat a few comments though. Standing by a traffic stop is not harassment. It is a safety issue from the officer perspective just becuase my attention is focused away, and they have no real business being there(They do have the right to be there if it is public property, unless they are doing something completely wreck-less as in bold below ).This may be different in an inner city environment where people just happen to be around, but that is not where I work. If you are standing near me on a traffic stop, you are there for a reason. My initial point on this one that the teenager stopped in the middle of the street, blocking traffic, to take pictures. This is an issue in more ways than one. I had him delete the picture to save him more trouble than he intended, since he obviously want thinking straight. Pictures are part of life, thats why I take them. Im pretty sure thats why we all take them.
Next...If anyone would like to walk in my shoes send me a message. I am in the DFW area and would be glad to take you on a ride along. I'll provide your vest for the night. Some people might see the job differently if they experiance it first hand. If you are not in my area, contact a local PD and go for a ride. My job is not about harassing photographers or any other law abiding citizen. Its about preventing and combating criminal activity. If you lock your doors at night, then you freely admit that Police are needed members of the community and that there are not enough of them around.
I am not going to post on this thread anymore....however, I am about to post some pictures that I shot and could really use some help on them.
How's that? I'm sorry, but while I understand that the police sometimes have a difficult job to do, when you voluntarily accept a job as a public servant, you are, quite literally that. A public servant in a uniform must accept the fact that they are going to be a target for the public and that most, if not everything they do is going to be observed. They MUST hold themselves to a higher standard and the fact that John or Jane Q. Public wants to take pictures or record them is a fact of life. Using one's own interpretation of the law to bully someone who is doing something which you may not like, but is not actually illegal is the worst form of behaviour. Having spend 26 years of my life in a uniform, in government service, I think I speak with some knowledge of the subject.
