Comments on: The night a cop tried to arrest me for doing street photography. http://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/ (Duluth, MN) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:03:20 +0000 hourly 1 By: Tedhttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-24971 Ted Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:48:32 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-24971 Police are out every day dealing regularly with people who are not the best examples of humanity, and most, I've found as a journalist, are decent, hardworking men and women who are intent upon making their community a safer place. I imagine that dealing with the kinds of people they deal with regularly makes them a little suspicious of anyone who is behaving in a manner outside the norm.That said, the best you can do when encountering a police officer under these circumstances is to be polite, show respect and otherwise behave just as you did -- I truly commend you for your level-headed response. He was doing his due diligence, as it were, trying to make sure in his own mind that you were not what he was afraid you might be.If you consider it from his perspective -- and assuming the officer is intent on public safety and not putting a feather in his cap -- he probably feels if he's not the best he can be, someone could get hurt if he's not doing his job properly. Yes, he seemed a little gung-ho, but that might be chalked up to the inexperience of a young officer or the self-blame some officers put on themselves when they miss something, which is inevitable -- they're only human.Again, I admire the way you handled this. Police are out every day dealing regularly with people who are not the best examples of humanity, and most, I've found as a journalist, are decent, hardworking men and women who are intent upon making their community a safer place. I imagine that dealing with the kinds of people they deal with regularly makes them a little suspicious of anyone who is behaving in a manner outside the norm.

That said, the best you can do when encountering a police officer under these circumstances is to be polite, show respect and otherwise behave just as you did -- I truly commend you for your level-headed response. He was doing his due diligence, as it were, trying to make sure in his own mind that you were not what he was afraid you might be.

If you consider it from his perspective -- and assuming the officer is intent on public safety and not putting a feather in his cap -- he probably feels if he's not the best he can be, someone could get hurt if he's not doing his job properly. Yes, he seemed a little gung-ho, but that might be chalked up to the inexperience of a young officer or the self-blame some officers put on themselves when they miss something, which is inevitable -- they're only human.

Again, I admire the way you handled this.

]]> By: David Mhttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-9981 David M Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:38:42 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-9981 "Are you detaining me?" "Am I free to go?" "Am I under arrest?" "Are you detaining me?"
"Am I free to go?"
"Am I under arrest?"

]]> By: Branihttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-5219 Brani Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:23:13 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-5219 thanx Kip for having look on my pictures. I wish that people on the streets are more relaxed, so photographers can thing about composition, shutter speed, story telling ... not about how to defend themselves in those photographer-cop unfair games. cheers thanx Kip for having look on my pictures. I wish that people on the streets are more relaxed, so photographers can thing about composition, shutter speed, story telling ... not about how to defend themselves in those photographer-cop unfair games.
cheers

]]> By: K. Praslowiczhttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-5178 K. Praslowicz Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:54:29 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-5178 Nice work Brani! I like the second image the best. I like that that the man being put into the paddy-wagon isn't all that is in the photo. Plays real well with the man leaning against the tree. Nice work Brani! I like the second image the best. I like that that the man being put into the paddy-wagon isn't all that is in the photo. Plays real well with the man leaning against the tree.

]]> By: Branihttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-5166 Brani Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:22:06 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-5166 Hi, I enjoyed reading your story and I think you did very well. I moved from Europe to Canada a couple years ago and a similar story like yours has happend to me already twice. I have to say that people in North America are more paranoid then in Europe. One day while taking pictures of arresting one drunk guy a mad cop came to me and made me to delete all of my pictures. I restored them from the memory card when I got home that day:) http://monkeyman.wz.cz/Canada/slides/3dscr434892_d0f6a.html http://monkeyman.wz.cz/Canada/slides/3dscs447219_3575d.html http://monkeyman.wz.cz/Canada/slides/3dsct450947_497c8.html Hi, I enjoyed reading your story and I think you did very well.
I moved from Europe to Canada a couple years ago and a similar story like yours has happend to me already twice. I have to say that people in North America are more paranoid then in Europe.
One day while taking pictures of arresting one drunk guy a mad cop came to me and made me to delete all of my pictures.
I restored them from the memory card when I got home that day:)
http://monkeyman.wz.cz/Canada/slides/3dscr434892_d0f6a.html
http://monkeyman.wz.cz/Canada/slides/3dscs447219_3575d.html
http://monkeyman.wz.cz/Canada/slides/3dsct450947_497c8.html

]]> By: Barrett Chasehttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-5054 Barrett Chase Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:51:25 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-5054 I think the next time I talk to a cop in a social setting, I think I'll ask if they have a lot of experience with rapists and child molesters who first photograph their victims with infrared film. Somehow, I really doubt it.I think these cases are a matter of the cop (not to mention the woman) really not understanding why anyone would photograph anything for artistic reasons, combined with a belief that everyone is guilty of something, akin to the jaded psychiatrist's belief that everyone is crazy. That's who they deal with. I think the next time I talk to a cop in a social setting, I think I'll ask if they have a lot of experience with rapists and child molesters who first photograph their victims with infrared film. Somehow, I really doubt it.

I think these cases are a matter of the cop (not to mention the woman) really not understanding why anyone would photograph anything for artistic reasons, combined with a belief that everyone is guilty of something, akin to the jaded psychiatrist's belief that everyone is crazy. That's who they deal with.

]]> By: Joelhttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-5031 Joel Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:35:54 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-5031 Check mate. For better or worse being a polite person is the only way to beat them. They are trying to get you into an argument so they can haul you in or cite you for disorderly.I reside in nyc where the police can real clods, not to mention the security guards. As much as i like to follow my principles i dont feel like being taken to jail until they find out i havent broken any laws. Check mate. For better or worse being a polite person is the only way to beat them. They are trying to get you into an argument so they can haul you in or cite you for disorderly.

I reside in nyc where the police can real clods, not to mention the security guards. As much as i like to follow my principles i dont feel like being taken to jail until they find out i havent broken any laws.

]]> By: samhhttp://www.kpraslowicz.com/2009/10/03/the-night-a-cop-tried-to-arrest-me-for-doing-photography/comment-page-1/#comment-5029 samh Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:57:23 +0000 http://www.kpraslowicz.com/?p=1993#comment-5029 Well played. Well played.

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