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Photographer detained in NY wants apology

If you’ve recently purchased a Fotosniper, you might not want to bring it..well..anywhere.  If just bringing a “point and shoot” camera got one man detained, there’s no telling what may happen if you were to say stake out a government building or trainstation with this thing. 

Apparently, 27-year-old photographer Ben Hider was detained for taking pictures of the West-chester County courthouse in White Plains, NY.

Hider said three armed police officers instantly surrounded him, frisked him, emptied his pockets and then detained him in a room for two hours while lecturing him about his citizenship and the terror threat in America.

The police played the “9-11 card” saying that the officers were just doing their job.  Turns out a NYC officer recently detained someone for taking pictures outside Grand Central Station.  Sure the White Plains guy got an apology and NYC police force is being sued for their actions but will that stop this from happening in the future?  My guess is: NO.

I had no idea that I was running the risk of being detained last week when I took photos of MARTA trains (check the Atlanta photos section).  I understand that tensions are high and that we are “living in a new world” post 9-11 but detaining tourists for taking pictures is uncalled for.  Now that MSN, Google, and Yahoo provide high-res satellite photos of every major building in the world (except for the White House), why would someone risk exposure to do reconnaissance on foot?  This should make you think twice before taking pictures of buildings, trains, or any other area that people frequent.  It’s almost as if they are saying “buy the postcard.”

Source: The Journal News

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