Why Taking Photos in Public Places is Not a Crime

**Matt Molnar** · 2010-07-21, 11:19 AM

Popular Mechanics:

Taking Photos In Public Places Is Not A Crime: Analysis
Too many officials think taking photos is a crime. Here’s why they’re wrong.

By Glenn Harlan Reynolds

Legally, it's pretty much always okay to take photos in a public place as long as you're not physically interfering with traffic or police operations. As Bert Krages, an attorney who specializes in photography-related legal problems and wrote Legal Handbook for Photographers, says, "The general rule is that if something is in a public place, you're entitled to photograph it." What's more, though national-security laws are often invoked when quashing photographers, Krages explains that "the Patriot Act does not restrict photography; neither does the Homeland Security Act." But this doesn't stop people from interfering with photographers, even in settings that don't seem much like national-security zones.
[Full Article]

**Derf** · 2010-07-21, 01:53 PM

GREAT POST :borat:

**seahawks7757** · 2010-07-21, 04:29 PM

So for EWR just stand on the side walk and you should be fine according to this. Who's gonna go test that one? :P

**megatop412** · 2010-07-21, 05:09 PM

EWR has a policy that if you are driving by on I-95 and happen to look out the window towards the airfield they will pull you over and do a full cavity search, all the while referring your objections to the Patriot act

**emshighway** · 2010-07-21, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by megatop412

EWR has a policy that if you are driving by on I-95 and happen to look out the window towards the airfield they will pull you over and do a full cavity search, all the while referring your objections to the Patriot act

And the PANYNJ wants to charge you for even looking at the airport...

**threeholerglory** · 2010-07-21, 06:30 PM

So for EWR just stand on the side walk and you should be fine according to this. Who's gonna go test that one? :P

been there, done that :P ewr-spotting-incident-1-10-10-t18065.html-st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=ewr

**Delta777LR** · 2010-07-23, 12:09 PM

Thats why I dont mess with EWR much now, havent been there since the 1/10/10 incident...

**Altitude9** · 2010-07-23, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by Delta777LR

Thats why I dont mess with EWR much now, havent been there since the 1/10/10 incident...

You just have to approach the field from a slightly different vantage point. ;) ...you know, like about 1500 feet over the 4/22 runways. ;)

This guy below was about eye level with us as we were traveling Eastbound.

**Speedbird1** · 2010-07-25, 06:28 AM

My friends visit JFK mostly on Sat. One guy just sent me a message stating that he and his friend were spotting from behind a window at one of the terminals when suddenly a lady told them that the terminal is only for ticketed passengers and they must leave at once or she will call the cops. They weren't even taking photographs; just spotting. Now, they say they'll never visit JFK. I don't know which terminal or who the lady is. They should have gotten her name. This happened to me about 20 years ago at the Delta Terminal. A security guard from Argenbright asked me for a ticket then told me to leave. He even escorted me to the terminal exit and watched me leave. Very humiliating. I didn't give-up my rights. I wrote a nice letter to Delta Airlines and I received a letter stating that I had permission to photograph from the terminal. It looks like we're back to those days where only ticketed passengers are welcome at JFK.