Be careful out there

[boxofrocks]

Or you may have the cops on your tail.

[CaptainTom]

BOLO (be on the look out) ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE SUSPECTED CRIMINALS.

[Wes]

It's a sad commentary on today's society when something like this is considered news. HOWEVER... I would probably be concerned if someone I didn't know were hanging around a playground that my son was on and taking his picture.

[jagphoto]

Especially taking photos of students on the school playground. You really never know??

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by Wes

It's a sad commentary on today's society when something like this is considered news. HOWEVER... I would probably be concerned if someone I didn't know were hanging around a playground that my son was on and taking his picture.

I'd suggest not letting your children play in public places that by constitutional law do not restrict photographers. Or, we could just chase down and interrogate all photographers, and then decide whether they should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights.

[Wes]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

I'd suggest not letting your children play in public places that by constitutional law do not restrict photographers. Or, we could just chase down and interrogate all photographers, and then decide whether they should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights.

OR... how 'bout this.... you can try your cute comment on a parent that has had a child abducted from a playground only to have his/her body found a week later. See how much mileage you would get. OR.... let's just lock up all the kids and not let any of them play outside. That way us photographers can go shoot empty swings and merry-go-rounds to our hearts desire!! Yeah, that sounds good.

Tom - you ridiculously misconstrued my comments, just as I did yours. I did not say in any way, shape, or form that the photographer was wrong. As a parent, I only said that I would be concerned. As a photographer I have to excersize some amount of wisdom and judgement with regards to what I shoot. Hanging around a playground and taking pics of kids certainly is legal, just like parking on the side of a highway and taking pictures of a nuclear installation is probably legal. In today's day and age It's just not smart.

We need to stop getting so caught up in whether or not we could do something and start asking whether or not we should.

[CaptainTom]

I don't disagree at all. But, SHOULD we be searching for this person ??

Chapman described the woman as a white, about 40 years old, with a medium build driving a blue or gray SUV with roof racks.

Taking a childs photograph is not tantamount to abduction.

We seem to be heading for a national hysteria regarding photographers that makes me very nervous.

[brad]

Originally Posted by jagphoto

Especially taking photos of students on the school playground. You really never know??

You never really know what?

I've yet to see a single report where a child abduction was preceded by the pervert taking photos of the child before hand.... its not like they are robbing a bank - they don't go out and case the place, taking photos of security, etc.... no, they troll the neighborhood until they find a kid that matches their perverted mental picture and is an easy target.

And they don't use a camera to lure them in.. they use a puppy or candy... so should we question every person who walks a dog past a playground?

Without getting too far off track, sometimes pictures follow... but that's usually after the abduction.

Now, there are (rare) occurrences of perverts shooting pictures up little girls' skirts while they are on the playground... but to treat every photographer as a potential criminal - questioning them for the simple act of taking pictures - seems extreme.

[jdwme]

hmm...what if the daycare was being investigated by someone for complaints, and the photographer was either a private investigator, or from the local newspaper

Or maybe it was Jill Greenberg scouting models

[jeffkohn]

I agree with Brad. Some parents would undoubtedly be concerned about a stranger taking pictures of their kids. But that fear is irrational. I think parents feel so vulnerable about the safety of their kids, that anything they can do to be 'proactive' makes them feel better. Photographers are an easy target, and it makes them feel like they're doing something to take control. But should photographers be persecuted just to make irrataional parents feel better? I don't think so.

[Dobick]

Originally Posted by brad

but to treat every photographer as a potential criminal - questioning them for the simple act of taking pictures - seems extreme.

I do not even have a problem if the authorities were to have gone up to this woman and questioned her on the spot. That would be called doing their job. Seeing something that might be suspicious and checking it out, but this is even more extreme. They are actively searching for someone after the fact.

The problem is that when a politician is wanting to score points with the voting public, one of the first places they turn is "the protection of children" song and dance. So a few rights get trampled in the process, as long as we protect children it is ok.

My question is what is going to happen to this woman when they find her? What is she going to be subjected to, and how invasive are they going to get? I figure once they have her identified, they will get a subpeona, and confiscate her computer and go through it with a fine tooth comb, as well as turn her life completely upside down. I hope I am wrong, and that I have just been watching too much TV.

[Murph]

Ok, I have a different perspective on this since I am a sex crimes investigator for my Sheriff's Office. Perverts come in all shapes and sizes, and I have no problem with the Po-Po going over and asking her what she is doing if it gets called in. I have spoken with sex offenders and have had several tell me that they would stand and look at kids in a school yard, and they could pick out the children that would become their victims. Now they use little digital P&S cameras, and camera phones to photograph their intended victims. You see a person photographing the kids, you ask the question: What are you doing? A reasonable explaination is ok. I ask, and determine why they are there.

A recent study was done with sex offenders and they were shown 100 photographs of women of which 20 were abused/molested/raped. The 100 perverts picked out unerringly the 20 without fail. 100% accuracy rate! I am suspicious by training and nature, so I don't have a problem with asking. I don't see it as persecution to just asking what you are doing.

[Duffy Pratt]

The point of this article is to scare people away from taking these pictures, and to appease the school officials and the parents. I doubt they are doing much in the way of searching. And if they do search for the woman, and find her, they will simply ask her a few questions which she may, or may not, answer.

There may also be something missing from this story. It's possible that the school tried to send someone over to talk to this woman, and when she saw the person approaching, she bolted. If that's what happened, I can see why the police might want to talk to her. But that's just speculation on my part.

Duffy

[Murph]

No it would take a search warrant, and unless the judge is an idiot, I can't see one being issued. You cannot subpoena the computer, you must get a search warrant and having written a few of them, they aren't easy.

Originally Posted by Dobick

My question is what is going to happen to this woman when they find her? What is she going to be subjected to, and how invasive are they going to get? I figure once they have her identified, they will get a subpeona, and confiscate her computer and go through it with a fine tooth comb, as well as turn her life completely upside down. I hope I am wrong, and that I have just been watching too much TV.

[Dobick]

Originally Posted by Murph

No it would take a search warrant, and unless the judge is an idiot, I can't see one being issued. You cannot subpoena the computer, you must get a search warrant and having written a few of them, they aren't easy.

Sorry -- search warrant was the word I was looking for. And based on local experience, I never rule out the fact that the judge may be an idiot. and based on personal experience I never rule out any anyone being an idiot (myself included )