dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

With respect we could conjecture this topic all the live long day. What we might even be missing is some personal anecdotes where someone’s mothers’ brother’s, son’s college roommate’s girlfriend’s cousin mentioned that one time a friend of his took a photo of a man walking down the street. It later turned out that the man was curious as to why some stranger wanted a photo of him.

In the same vein none of us should ever go out in public because a jet engine fell out of the sky at least once and could have killed a pedestrian.

The important part of this thread is that a citizen in public has no reasonable expectation of privacy.

Dennis

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Low comprehension is obvious. Or pathetically naive.
Think personal safety.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

What law school again??? Name one case where a court has upheld a persons right to privacy in a public space? The Supreme Court case Katz vs United States has been used over and over for the principle that persons do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in public spaces. Your total lack of understanding of the 4th amendment is what is laughable. Maybe you should read it some day. I doubt you would understand it but you should read it. I love all the Philadelphia Lawyers who read something on Facebook and think they can hang a shingle in this forum I would hope your photography is better than your legal knowledge.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

What exactly did I not comprehend? The fact that your example is illogical? I addressed the personal safety issue directly. When a drug dealer sees a camera they are going to go in the opposite direction. You think they are going to pull out a glock and start firing? You watch too many bad tv shows. Every drug dealers knows when they see a camera it could be a cop. The last thing they want to do is walk up to a cop and confront them. Actually that is the second to last thing they want to do, The very last thing they want to do is pull a weapon on a law enforcement officer. Plain and simple your example is not going to happen in the real world. Seriously, maybe in make believe but not in the real world

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I can’t agree more. If you see people engaged in doing something illegal I suggest NOT taking the photograph. At the very least give long and careful thought to the circumstances where you find yourself; are you armed, by yourself, have family with you, in a friendly neighborhood, somewhat friendly citizens around, your vehicle close by and so on.

When I worked for the CO Dept. Of Corrections in the Death Row/Ad Seg unit my wife and I spent a weekend in Denver seeing a theatrical production just off the 16th Street Mall. On the morning of our departure back to Canon City the hotel clerk suggested a great place for breakfast about four blocks away. While walking to the restaurant I did indeed see a drug deal taking place right across the street. I also recognized the dealer as one of my known inmates. When he saw I was watching the deal go down he yelled at me, WTF are you looking at. I yelled back that I was just out for a walk. My wife and I kept going to the restaurant. I coulda, woulda, shoulda done a lot of things that would have proven unhealthy to my wife and me. Instead I savored the day and we enjoyed breakfast. I would not have considered taking a picture. As usual common sense won out.

Dennis

GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

I recall enjoying a beer in a bar in Richmond, VA in an area known as The Fan. The Fan was/is the home to Virginia Commonwealth University, and many stores, clubs, bars, restaurants, etc. As I sat nursing my PBR I saw a drug deal go down across the street. A small package and some cash were exchanged. No way would I have walked up to those dudes with a camera! While they had no reasonable expectation of privacy I'd have been a fool to argue the point.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Couldn’t agree more. You did the right thing.

Dennis

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

But that is not the point at all. The OP said nothing about photographing a drug deal. It’s the Philadelphia Lawyers that have said “it could have been a drug dealer”. It wasn’t! It also could have been Martians coming out of the sky, but it wasn’t. Why do people have to make mountains out of mole hills?

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

The OP said nothing about observing anyone engaged in anything illegal. Where do you people get such vivid imaginations? Or do you just not read the original post?

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Maybe were you live it would seem strange. But in my neighborhood, if you start taking pictures of a stranger's vehicle interior, you should not be surprised if this then results in a rather unpleasant confrontation with the owner.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

Who said anything about taking pictures of someone’s car interior?

Cookie223 Loc: New Jersey

That’s if the perp is caught!

unanchored Loc: san diego ca

Thank you all for the replies concern was not can I take the shot - rather was it a good Idea will go with the common sense answer prev made

jane

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Yes I read the original post. Where does it say in the UHH rules that future posters must absolutely stick to exactly the parameters the OP originally posted. Almost every original post here had evolved with an addition of some other piece of information that another poster thought might be relevant. If we stick to exactly your seeming way of posting then someone will post something and the exact moment that his point is made or someone else's point is made the post should automatically end with nobody else allowed to post their opinion.

My point and I suspect the point of the other poster you berated above me is that while it is legal in every state to take photographs of anyone in the public domain there should be some common sense idea that not everyone is doing something legal. I mentioned only one drug deal I have been a witness to. There was one more about 11:00 PM when my brother and I were driving from Colorado to NJ. We stopped at a gas station for gas and something to drink and to use the rest room. Upon coming out of the rest room I was two feet from a drug deal going down and saw the baggie being passed along with the money. I said excuse me and told my brother we needed to get going. Now we were both ex law enforcement and were both armed quite heavily. But we did not know our surroundings or how many bad guys there were. They had pulled up in a van and were at least six. Not good odds for anybody. Best to get going. Now if you think that would have been a good time to practice some low light level photography then you need to think again.

But my point is basically who are you to tell him or me what we can and cannot say. Did you start this post? Are you the monitor for this area of UHH? From my point of view you are nobody to tell us anything at all. You are welcome to skip right on by and say nothing. We have as much right to post as you do.

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Thank you.

Dennis