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Thread: 3-31-14 SAT

  1. #16
    Senior Member RWB's Avatar
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    I agree with all your comments and will wait for a response from the security director like I did almost 3 years ago. It just seems weird that the last couple years have been great out there, most officers wave, a couple have stopped to talk for a few minutes, so this was a complete 180 from the norm.

  2. #17
    Senior Member megatop412's Avatar
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    Every time there is a terror attack(or 2-3 in a short time span), the widespread reporting of them rolls back the mellow with the authorities and they go back to the "this is a code red alert" mindset. I'm pretty sure the FLL incident had everything to do with the disruption of what you've come to expect. The combination of what was probably mentioned several times in roll call("be on the lookout for anything suspicious", "anybody with no business at the airport gets booted") and the individual LEO's own sense of duty to protect their zone means that area is going to be hot for a while, unfortunately.

    Definitely follow up with them though, make it well known who you are and your history of being there, show that email, show your work, etc. But I would wait a month or 2 or 3 before going again. That cop was thinking about FLL

  3. #18
    Senior Member RWB's Avatar
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    Well I hadn't received a response when I got home today and thought maybe he was on vacation or just didn't get it. i called his office and actually talked to him for 15 minutes, he said they have email problems and it might have gone to spam which he didn't check lately and said send it again and he did say he remembered me from 3 years ago! We did discuss what was going on at the airport and that is they have a new Commander of the Airport Police who actually is above Lt. Griffin and the general thinking is to move everyone up to the parking garage rather than by the perimeter fence which has been acceptable in the past. Additionally he did say that private property like the Cessna service center would be up to the owners (hasn't been an issue ever, we stay by the fire house side away from their ramp fence), also discussed public sidewalks by Signature, along the highway by the approach end of 12R and of course the grass area by 22/4 where i was asked to leave. Nothing has been set in stone yet as far as rules/ordinances so he couldn't give a yes or no answer as far as those areas, but I did kinda stress the public area issue from our point of view and threw in the idea of thinking of us as a watch program as he did mentioned the old 'see something, say something' program as being part of the reason. He did say he would get back to me as soon as they iron out what they want to do.

  4. #19
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    I'll admit it grates on me the idea that they want to ban photography from public places, like sidewalks. That's just flat out illegal.

    I'd seriously consider calling the ACLU for guidance. Though that can be a mixed blessing...folks at KBDL were getting harassed all the time and called in the ACLU. They wound up easily winning in favor of the spotters, got them regional press in big papers - but in the end the airport simply turned all the streets into no stop, no park zones.
    Last edited by jerslice; 2017-01-19 at 10:49 PM.

  5. #20
    Senior Member RWB's Avatar
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    Went today a couple of times to the railroad tracks on Wetmore rd which parallels 4-22, the only runway open for airliners now, it's always been acceptable and it's really the only place on weekends for good AM light on that runway. A little after lunch a King Air came lower than usual for 30R, a gen-av runway, and we hear tires squealing and see a small SUV fish-tailing all over the road, over correct, hit the airport perimeter fence, then back out on the road into oncoming traffic almost having a head on collision. Both of us got shots of the Mercury Mariner and the plate before they departed . So I called airport Police to tell them what happened and the fence wasn't down but might be damaged, that turned into an interrogation about why we were there and what we were doing.

    So after more than 15 minutes a security truck drove by on their property never stopping turned around then drove by again then departed. An APD unit drove by kept going turned around drove past never stopping, we just looked at each other like wtf, guess they don't care. 2 minutes later my friend said here's one coming to see us, so I start walking up with my camera to show him the photo of the vehicle and the part of fence that looked damaged and he says he is on a call for people taking pictures of airplanes! I told him that's us and I called APD for a vehicle hitting the fence. He asked for my ID and did what he had to do. Then the 1st Unit came back and took the report on the vehicle that hit fence and took off. Talked with both of them about how this is kind of ridiculous to get ID'ed for photography on non-airport property for seeing something and saying something that happened to airport property.

    Me and my friend just laughed about it as thats probably the 1st time a spotter has called in himself!
    Last edited by RWB; 2017-01-22 at 10:03 PM.

  6. #21
    Senior Member RWB's Avatar
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    Monday I talked to Mr.Cole again, he said basically he had talked briefly with the new Captain of APD and that he stated he would talk to the officer from the previous incident as they aren't in the business of running people off of public property as long as no laws/ordinances are broken. He was very happy about getting the photos of the vehicle that hit the perimeter fence and other photos of some things that go on out there they arent aware of (racing on NE Entrance road). Still will have a meeting sometime in the future. So it was off to the airport to catch some late afternoon 22 action, upon arriving I saw a APD unit parked and asked if I could park near him and get some shots, he smiled and said not a problem take as many as you want! I later moved on the other side of the construction area due to dust from trucks and ran into another spotter who recently moved from Dallas and started working here recently at airport ops, we talked about alot of issues out there and from what he said its only going to get better out there for us!

    Some pics from this week at that area...





  7. #22
    Senior Member megatop412's Avatar
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    That sounds like some of the foolishness we see here at PHL on Hog Island Rd fro time to time, people driving recklessly and such. Got some nice light on those last few shots!

  8. #23
    Senior Member Mateo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by megatop412 View Post
    That sounds like some of the foolishness we see here at PHL on Hog Island Rd fro time to time, people driving recklessly and such. Got some nice light on those last few shots!
    I think I've seen more downed streetlight poles on Hog Island than I've seen in the rest of my travels combined.

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