Law Enforcement pics/model release

[douge]

Hey everyone,

A good friend of my posted this to me. I would like to get your views on this subject.

Here is an FYI for you! I did a family reunion photo session and at the end of the session began to hand out the "model release" forms. One of the sons is now in law enforcement and can not sign the release. The told me it is "against the law" FEDERAL LAW -- part of the "Patriot Act" for any photos of law enforcement to be displayed in the public.


Of course, I'll respect their wishes. Thought I would pass this along to others....... does anyone have any other experiences with this. I sure don't want to get arrested by the FEDS!


Hope you are able to stay out of the heat!

[PhotosbyHollyWood]

I would think that it was only it is only when they are in uniform, and if it was Suggestive, the patriot act is for terrorism, and to keep the terroists from finding out personal information about them..

that is a bit strange... If he did not want his picture posted he should have just said something rather than hiding behind this law... of course I could be all wrong! but the law and his reasons seem a bit off to me!

[ajl3photo]

I think it just depends on the person. I work in a newspaper and we have photos of law enforcement all the time. But, this is in public place though. A lot of the times, the officers will give us photos of them with drugs they gathered from a bust or for some other civic duty. We've never experienced a problem like that.

[Howard Barlow]

Two words...B S.

[PhotosbyHollyWood]

Originally Posted by Howard Barlow

Two words...B S.

hahah that is what I was thinking... and I trust your input on this... cause well you are or were an officer weren't you?

[ggeen]

I am highly skeptical. I did a quick word search of the text for either picture or photograph and could not find any instance of either work. I don't have time right now but maybe tonight. The document can be found on thomas.gov

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/...mp/~c107S9HOLu

[jonnydonut]

hey it might be in there, that thing is really really thick and just seems to cause problems for everyone.

i'm calling BS tho. I'm going to start blaming everything on the patriot act too.
Sorry (client's name), the patriot act says that i couldn't put the pictures online until 7 days after the event.

[CaptainTom]

I sense a thread hijacking in progress.

But, the Patriot Act prohibits me from disclosing why.


The Patriot Act:
requires you to take off your clothes and be photographed by me.

The Patriot Act:
means that I cannot put out the garbage this time and you will have to do it.

The Patriot Act:
was the reason I showed up late for work three days in a row. I cannot divulge any further information.

[Howard Barlow]

Originally Posted by PhotosbyHollyWood

hahah that is what I was thinking... and I trust your input on this... cause well you are or were an officer weren't you?

14 years as a reserve deputy.

Originally Posted by jonnydonut

I'm going to start blaming everything on the patriot act too.

I can't remember, did the patriot act cause global warming, or did global warming cause the patriot act? I get soooo cornfused.

[andyz]

No offense, but the PATRIOT Act is the same law that prohibits photos from being taken outside of anything that a cop can also see, isn't it?

There are parts of the Act I am very familiar with and many I am not. But I think this is an "I'm important" moment. At one time I too was a federal law enforcement officer. Or so we joked as I was an MP waiving in cars at the Ft Ord main gate. My wife was a commodity transport engineer when she was young. A grocery bagger. Everyone is important at some point. But I hardly believe the Act prohibits his photo from being taken. Just the same, anyone who doesn't want it taken should have that right assuming they're not on the wrong side of the law and don't want to be filmed in the act.

Add me to "BS opinions.

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Getting back on topic here...

I'm curious if you should ask for releases at the beginning of a shoot as opposed to the end? I've always asked at the end and now I'm wondering why. At least if there is a conflict you can go into the shoot knowing that OR can resolve any conflicts before the shoot starts (or to the extreme, cancel the shoot).

If the gentleman didn't want to sign the release due to "his" belief as an agent than whatever. I might question it but I probably wouldn't push it.

_/oe

[carrbowl]

I'm wondering why the dufus was even in the photos if he knew he didn't want his face in the photos??? Was the photographer behind a camoflaged blind??????

[toverman]

I'm still wondering why someone needed model releases at a family reunion photo session. But it may be required by the Patriot Act.

My newspaper experience is similar to AJ's. We took photos of officers on the job all the time (car wrecks, interacting with the public, promotion ceremonies). In fact, a former publisher worked heavily with MADD. Every year right before New Year's Eve we'd ask representatives from area police departments and the sheriff's department to come out for a photo (they all stood around their cars and looked mean under the words "Drive drunk ... we're going to get you" type of PSA). So while I won't call it BS or baloney, it may be a young officer with too much self-importance, but I don't know that for a fact.

[ajl3photo]

That's a great point Todd!

[dbphotos]

Ok, first of all I call "B.S." on his statement. That is simply not true. Now the governmet can ask you not to publish a photo of a LE Officer (or just about anyone) to protect them or an investigation or for reasons of national security. Sometimes you must comply, but most of the time it's just a courtesy to comply and not publish names or photos of certain "agents". It also matters whether he was in the execution of his duties and identified as such or not. By your post I would assume he was in a family setting and not in uniform or working, in which case none of what I said would apply.

If he was an undercover agent or officer then I could see his concern if you were going to make images public and make his real idenity known, but if he is simply LE Officer (local, state or Federal) then he is either mistaken or just trying make himself seem more important than he really is.

Now this is all based on very limited information in your post, but the cases where you couldn't publish a photos are so rare and limited and if push came to shove would have to be by court order, I really doubt this is the case.

Are you sure he wasn't trying to be funny? And, don't get me wrong, I am a big supporter of all LE as I was one for 15 years. I just know that even the best of us are sometimes wrong.

P.S. The Patriot Act gives the government wide powers to "pursue suspected terrorists", it doesn't limit rights of its citizens, despite what some have tried to imply. (I'm not saying I'm for or against it, just trying to clarify what it really is.) Here's a link to all 342 pages of the Patriot Act.