Legalities of photographing a car accident?

[Village Idiot]

if people get worried about ethics then you would have no more photojournalism.....especially covering any sort of war or crisis.

Not at all. Taking pictures of a bloody and devastating accident scene with multiple fatalities to submit to a paper for a story and taking the pictures just to have for personal viewing pleasure are two completely different thing. Depending on your views and ethics will determine whether or not you deem that appropriate. I know a popular vote would say that the photojournalist is in the right and the casual photographer is in the wrong though.

It's reasons like this that I plan on moving out of the United States.

HAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAA!!!!

Where? Africa? Europe is much worse. I think we have it easy in comparison. One guy I know that just moved back to the US said you can't even do candids of random people on the street in France without getting harrassed.

Ever see the ad campaign they have going in the UK where it tells people to call the cops if they see a photographer because the photographer might be a terrorist?

 

[Bifurcator]

This is thread is basically the same as the numerous "photographer's rights" threads that popped up recently. Essentially, you are in the right but the officer always and I mean always has the upper hand.

Of all the officials and professionals we have to deal with in our lives the police are the easiest to sue. And they pay for it personally out of pocket! Mentioning that to them (politely) when they site bogus non-existent laws will normally quench their wrath in a big hurry. Especially if you add a phrase they themselves are familiar with like, "You can beat the rap but you can't beat the ride". (or is it the opposite? I forget.)

At least for now that's still a pretty safe bet. Current policy and testing in many if not most districts is insuring however that the dumbest and meanest people are hired on so this may not be the case in a few years. You'll still be able to sue them but you'll have to tent to your broken arm all during the hearings.

 

[patrickt]

Assuming the statement of what the poster says his girlfriend says the policeman said is accurate and assuming no other relevant facts that weren't mentioned and unless there is some local ordinance, which I doubt, I think the police officer was not accurately stating the law.

In thirty years as a police officer, I don't recall anyone who wasn't involved wanting a photo of an accident. Oh, there were plenty who wanted photos of dead bodies but I don't remember any who simply wanted a photo of an accident.

 

[GermanyBert]

Current policy and testing in many if not most districts is insuring however that the dumbest and meanest people are hired on so this may not be the case in a few years.

What a ridiculous remark. What is the source of your information on what "many if not most districts" LEO hiring policies and testing procedures are?

 

[patrickt]

"Of all the officials and professionals we have to deal with in our lives the police are the easiest to sue. And they pay for it personally out of pocket!"

Baloney. It's covered by insurance bought by the department as long as the action involves the officers work. That's also why it's easy to sue police departments. Since it doesn't cost anyone involved and the insurance company pays, they're happy to settle whether the lawsuit has merit or not.

 

[RMThompson]

What bothers me the most, is not the fact that most people KNOW the legality - but most people choose to ACCEPT the abuse of power.

The only way to remind over zealous police officers of OUR rights is to express them. Much in the way copyright infringement must be enforced everytime or you lose the right to enforce it, we have to make sure we fight against those who are taking away our rights - or we have no business claiming rights.

Napoleon once said, negatively, that "a man will fight harder for his interests than his rights." And in this case, the "interest" is to not be hassled by police. When being hassled we might be apt to be MORE interested in going home and watching American Idol that night than we are interested in fighting for the right of taking a picture of a car crash.

I'm not calling for people to go out and start taking pictures for the sole purpose of having an officer hassle you, in order to insist on your rights, but rather IF and WHEN the situation DOES come up - don't sit idly by while someone strips you of your first ammendment.

 

[Bifurcator]

Where? Africa? Europe is much worse. I think we have it easy in comparison.

He's smart to want to move. Red China is honestly more free than the USA right now. Really! Yeah the UK and that block is same or worse (just recently) but that's it. Africa would be great. Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, all better! Japan, Korea, Taiwan, most of South America (not Mexico) all much freer than the USA "by comparison". I'm NOT saying America "sucks" but she's in big trouble right now!

In Japan I can (and have seen it done many times) walk up to a cop and start pushing them around and yelling at them. You're not arrested, they don't call for backup (unless it's in a really troubled area with a bad reputation), they don't get physical, etc. Unlike "The West" they're not trained to believe that they are your master. They act like our equals here. When you're finished yelling at them they ask you if you're OK and if you need anything... like an escort home or to use their phone, etc..

We have what we call "Bousouzoku" here which is I guess, like the Hell's Angels used to be when they still had nads. They ride with no lic plates or bent in half, often no helmets, they refuse to stop for red lights, they refuse to stop for the police. You know what the police here do? Follow them around and make sure no one gets hurt. Arrest the one's that fall over and call their moms. If mom or dad doesn't stop their kids from acting up after three times the courts get to say something. Usually some schooling and a fine. Even so - in that process, there are no "arrests" made usually. The communities here still work so that saves us. Those bikers are not considered "trash" or scum by the cops or the society. They are human beings and we all need to rebel sometimes. It's part of being human (if you're not drinking the sodium-fluoride that is). So why punish people for being people? Most other countries don't.

As for real (practiced) freedom if you want to open a business (store front, factory, photography shop) in your home or garage or tear down the building all together and turn it into a pay parking lot it's no problem. Just do it. If you don't pay your taxes and they don't even start counting until after 3 years, you are NEVER jailed - unless you are also committing fraud or something bad against the people. No debtor's prison here like there is in the USA.

That's Nagoya with two and a half million people stuffed into an area half the size of LA city. The area around here smaller than LA County, is home to nine million.

There are no mass, forced, or pushed vaccinations here , there are no nazi-like child services, there is no nazi-like "family planning" organizations. And by nazi-like I mean the nazis are the ones who founded or put into practice those kinds of programs and etc.. (It's all about eugenics there then - and in the US now.)

There are more political and non-violent "offenders" in the adult corrections systems in the USA than in all the rest of the world combined - this is factual data. There are way more adults per capita currently (and for the past 35 years that I know of), imprisoned in the USA than in any other country - period. (And the VAST majority are in for non-violent victimless crimes!)

I could go on and on and on for ever making irrefutable point after point showing how bad the Americans and "The West" have it and how brainwashed the citizenry is into thinking that they are the freest but I guess we get the idea from this little bit. I say if Easy_Target wants to move out he should do it. Especially sooner rather than later because it looks like the masters of the US want to collapse the economy in order to eliminate the middle class and create a newer larger class of surfs there. When/if they do it's not going to be fun - even for the wealthy!

 

[RMThompson]

I've said it so many times, I've added it my signature:

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

 

[Bifurcator]

"Of all the officials and professionals we have to deal with in our lives the police are the easiest to sue. And they pay for it personally out of pocket!"

Baloney.

Hotdogs.



"Law enforcement officers face many stressful situations inherent in their profession, including the threat of being sued and held personally liable."

URL This is from an official FBI discussion memo on the "Schofield Immunity Defense bill" - that didn't pass BTW.

--
Anyway, that's my part in this subtopic of this thread. I don't want to keep it going. It might get closed or something and I think it's a useful thread.

 

[Emerana]

Wow I sure wished I lived in a place that cops let people run red lights and didnt do anything. Where can I get a visa?

 

[usayit]

Of all the officials and professionals we have to deal with in our lives the police are the easiest to sue. And they pay for it personally out of pocket! Mentioning that to them (politely) when they site bogus non-existent laws will normally quench their wrath in a big hurry.

My observation is the complete opposite... at least in NJ and NY

 

[Bifurcator]

@Emerana & others,
I added some links to my post (above) BTW.

@usayit
Really? Yeah, I guess every area is different. This is what I'm seeing on publicly posted videos and what's being said on internet radio/podcasts. I've never put it to the test and since I don't live there... It's only 2nd hand info and pretty non-specific.

 

[Village Idiot]

How hard is it to get deported from Japan?

 

[Easy_Target]

My observation is the complete opposite... at least in NJ and NY

Seriously. They say, "bring that lawsuit, you can talk to my union."

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

It's a misquote and misattributed apparently.

http://www.futureofthebook.com/stories/storyReader$605

What a ridiculous remark. What is the source of your information on what "many if not most districts" LEO hiring policies and testing procedures are?

There were two instances that I know of where candidates were turned down after they scored too high on the police entrance exam (one in Mass., one in NY).

Of all the officials and professionals we have to deal with in our lives the police are the easiest to sue. And they pay for it personally out of pocket! Mentioning that to them (politely) when they site bogus non-existent laws will normally quench their wrath in a big hurry. Especially if you add a phrase they themselves are familiar with like, "You can beat the rap but you can't beat the ride". (or is it the opposite? I forget.)

At least for now that's still a pretty safe bet. Current policy and testing in many if not most districts is insuring however that the dumbest and meanest people are hired on so this may not be the case in a few years. You'll still be able to sue them but you'll have to tent to your broken arm all during the hearings.

Actually, they'll give you another beating for threatening to sue them. On top of the beating they gave you for minding your own business. Then they'll throw another charge on you because they had to exert effort when beating you.

 

[Bifurcator]

How hard is it to get deported from Japan?

Depends. On the year. They change it kinda often. Like for example after three or four years of "persians" coming here, overstaying their visas, and with about 70% of them selling meth on the streets, they cracked down (no pun intended) and started deporting them actively.

Typically, if you're an actual criminal type and disregard the safety of others by armed robbery or the alike they will surely deport you. If your crimes are victimless (casual drug use), drunk in public, disorderly conduct, a bar fight, or even minor like bicycle theft, shop-lifting, DWI, light vandalism, ummm.. others then if it even goes to court they consider your visa status before deciding. If you're overstay you go, if you're visitor status and you act like a butt-head you might go, if you're visitor status and you apologize (paying restitution or etc) you stay, if you're permanent resident status or spouse sponsored then you're treated like a citizen for the most part and deportation is usually not considered.

But the "cops & robbers" mentality of the the west doesn't exist here. If someone gets busted for shoplifting the officer takes your name and calls your mom. If it's an adult and they're obviously poor or homeless the cop will more often than not talk to the store keep and pretend he can't even see the perp. even if he's standing right there. If you're an adult with a clept-o-fetish a report is written and you sign a paper promising not to do it again - no arrest is made.

But this all varies widely from city to city, prefecture to prefecture. It depends who's running things at the station and what kinds of problems they're dealing with so it's hard for anyone to say "this is the way it is" un-empirically.

Usually people are into being adults (being responsible for their own actions) so showing humility and apologizing for something you did without thinking (as we all do occasionally) usually solves the problem - whatever it is. People don't use the court system here to do that. Law suits here for example are pretty rare.

OK, now I'm rambling... I'll stop.

Actually, they'll give you another beating for threatening to sue them. On top of the beating they gave you for minding your own business. Then they'll throw another charge on you because they had to exert effort when beating you.

:taped sh: That sucks!

There were two instances that I know of where candidates were turned down after they scored too high on the police entrance exam (one in Mass., one in NY).

Yeah, the sources are dozens and dozens of AP wire reports on that specific topic, my brother the county sherif, and numerous law enforcement web sites. It's become real bad since about the time we invaded Iraq. It does indeed sound ridiculous if you're not informed however so I can understand the retort. It's really not debatable tho.