After a morning of shooting at Howard Beach, and a short stop at Costco, about 6 or 8 of us headed to the cargo area after a switch to Rwy 13L. It was quiet for about 5 or 10 minutes after our arrival when an Air China 744 came in and we all got shots. Just after she went by, Port PD showed up - two officers in separate cars, and right after them, two officers in the PAPD assault vehicle (as seen in this photo from LGA's Kids Day):
One officer got out of his car, and I approached him. He asked what we were doing, and I gave him a brief explanation of our hobby and a couple of us offered our ID. He said "You're scaring a lot of people" and said we weren't allowed to take photos. I said "There is no law against taking photos of aircraft" but he said "This is private property and they don't want you taking pictures here. You are welcome to stay and observe, but you can't take pictures."
None of the other officers got out of their vehicles, and when it was clear we were no threat, they left. The first officer made it clear that since it was a private lot, they (the owners) could decide what they allowed. We stayed about 10 minutes after he left and we left as well.
Looks like this spot is hit-or-miss. We've had Port PD called a few times, but other times we've been there several hours without incident. Clearly the folks in the building across the street called as soon as we got there, as Port PD was there minutes later (I assume the assault vehicle was just out and about, and happened to stop by - I hope they didn't roll because of us) Use caution, but don't be deterred here.
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