Less than half an hour after getting to Firestone, as I sat in my car waiting for the next big jet to show up, a Nassau county cruiser pulls up right in front of my car. Within a minute, two more show up. I get out of the car, and an officer confronts both my friend and I and ask for ID's. We both give him our licenses, and I explained our hobby to him. He asked to see my pictures as well. After I got my camera and as I showed him the photos, I noticed that the other officers were going through my car, including the center console, beneath the seats, and in the glove compartment. One even opened the trunk from inside the car. I never consented to a search of my car. I don't mind; I just thought it was weird.
They even asked to see my friend's iPhone, which happened to be displaying the scheduled arrivals for JFK on FlightAware. He asked about the site, which I explained was public information. He asked why I needed FlightAware, and I told him that I was interested in what to expect on the approach. Mat was also in the general vicinity, and the officers asked him for ID even though he wasn't holding a camera. He was suspicious that I was all the way from New Jersey. At that point, the first officer was already writing his report and jotting down information. As it got dark, they wrapped up writing their reports and told us we were fine, explained the possible suspicion especially following the incidents from Friday, and told us we were free to continue shooting. By that point, it was past dusk and we walked into Wendy's for dinner. The entire time I was eating, I noticed the patrol cars still parked in front of my car in the parking lot and peering inside.
I finished eating, and they were still there. I verified that I could leave, and I had to weave around the cruisers. Overall, it went pretty smoothly. At the beginning, they were incredibly hostile, but at the end after I explained what we were doing, they became a lot nicer, one even commenting on how much he liked El Al Airlines after I told him I had missed the 747.
All in all, this encounter didn't seem that different from previous police encounters to spotters. Everything that I've read on here stood true, that courteousness always goes a long way, to have ID, and to explain the hobby.
Did I break a record with three cruisers? :P
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