NewsOn6.com reports that prep school teacher Chris Owens has filed a complaint against the Oklahoma City police and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol after being handcuffed and harassed for taking photos of a car crash scene. Officers told Owens he had to give them his film or he was going to jail.
Owens knew his rights though, and says he “quickly opened the scooter seat, dropped my camera in and locked it, and said ‘No, I won’t give it to you.'” After a heated exchange where the officer was demanding he delete the photos, one officer finally lost it, knocked Owens’ helmet off his head, handcuffed him and put him in a squad car. Which makes me wonder, what’s the big deal about photos of a car crash anyway? That has nothing to do with public security.
Owens, who says he doesn’t want anything more than an apology, asks, “Where’s the checks and balances? Who lets them run like unleashed dogs?” (But he is considering a lawsuit.)
You can send an email to Oklahoma City Police Chief William Sitty through the Public Information Office: ocpd.pio@okc.gov.
Article via NewsOn6.com.
boywithgrenade.org 
On another website the photographer mentioned after the cop knocked him around and cuffed him, they broke into the locked compartment and passed the camera around among themselves until they were satisfied everything was deleted — including the photos he had shot for another assignment.
The theory is the officers may have suspected he got pictures of them abusing a suspect involved in the car chase, and wouldnt allow him to leave with pictures.
It;s a federal civil rights violation if anything.
That pretty well cinches it, Oklahoma City really is a 3rd-world communist country 😉
But seriously, cameras are the only thing that tip the balance between the old “cops word against yours” dilemma, so bad cops go after cameras (even to the point of claiming camera cellphones might be guns).
SO I WAS AT A LIGHT ON 23RD STREET AND I GUESS A GUY RAN INTO SOMEONES CAR THEN BACKED UP TO TRY TO LEAVE AND REAN INTO ANOTHER CAR WELL I COP JUST SO HAPPEN TO DRIVE BY AND IMMEDIATELY STOPPED WELL HE CAME UP TO THE WINDOW OF THE OLD MANS CAR AND POINTED HIS GUN AT HIM AND OPENED THE DOOR AND BODY SLAMMED HIM ON THE CONCRETE IN THE MIDDLE OF BLACK FRIDAY TRAFFIC I MEAN I UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM WITH THE OLD MAN BUT THERE WAS NO REASON TO TREAT HIM LIKE THAT ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS WHAT IF THAT WAS MY DADDY
you people are stupid you dont know half of the shit you think you know. first off benny are you a official member of the media? if not you have no business at any scene where the police are working . what you think may be one thing may be somethine else. so if you are not directly involved you and all the other idiots need to go about your business before you get hurt or cause someone else to get hurt. second benjamin your another idiot. i,ve been to some 3rd world communist countries. your dumbass wouldnt last 5 minutes in any of them. you open your mouth there and they will shut it for you forever. and last there is stephanie. well i understand you concern. but heres what you dont know. if the old man as you say had ran into two cars and was trying to leave the scene that is a felony hit and run so says title 47 of the oklahoma state statues.was there any injured people in the cars that was hit? how do you know if he didnt have a weapon in his car? you dont. you also dont know if what you saw was a robbery or a car jacking or any other crime . what you saw was a small piece to a bigger picture. so until you know for sure what is going on do your self a favor and shut up.
Lee. Your personal opinions don’t matter. Just because accident gawkers annoy you doesn’t mean you can make up a law for it. It’s still not illegal to take photos of a car accident unless you are interfering with the investigation/rescue efforts. Google similar cases and it always favors the photographer. Everything and everyone in public right of way can be filmed in the United States by everyone who wants to film it. 🙂