Officer Thomas Malloy, Badge #8641, Serial #22934/Photo by David Sommars
Photographer David Sommars and two friends went to the Port of Los Angeles on Saturday night to take photos of the amazing industrial landscape. As they walked on the sidewalk with their tripods, they noticed they were being followed by a black SUV. Being as the driver was shifty and suspicious, the photographers were more worried that they were being cased for their gear.
But, as it turned out, the driver was Officer Weiss from the LAPD, who had called the three men into the station. When a police cruiser showed up, Sommars asked the officer what law they were breaking, but Officer Malloy declined to offer any information. He just told them it was illegal to audio record him and if they didn’t stop taking photos of him they would be arrested.
His boss, Officer Chacoh, also on the scene, was unfortunately just as ill-informed and tight-lipped. He said they had to go to a different city to take pictures. He was not willing, or capable, of citing a law they were breaking; he was only able to repeat that if that they continued to take photos they would be taken in.
As Sommars points out, the photos they were taking from public sidewalks were essentially not any more detailed than what you’d find on Google Maps. The police can’t come up with a valid law because there isn’t one, and their harassment of photographers on public streets is illegal. “I’m actually getting very used to being “Lied” to by police officers,” Sommars writes on his blog. “This is not a good thing, and it’s not legal. But hey, they have guns and we don’t, so deal with it.”
UPDATE: Sommars called the number on the card he was given by the officers and was told he could be put in federal prison for 10-15 years for photographing refineries. Wow! If that’s really a law on the books and someone can point us to it, please do.
UPDATE #2: Sommars received a communication from a special investigator on May 26 that the Office of the Inspector General has launched an internal investigation into the officers involved in this incident.
Read Sommars’ full account, along with photos, here.
To voice your concerns regarding this incident, contact the following:
Los Angeles Police Station – Harbor Area
2175 S John S. Gibson Blvd, San Pedro, CA
Phone (310) 726-7700
Fax (310) 726-7739
Office of the Inspector General Los Angeles Police Dept.
Phone (213) 202-5866.
Fax (213) 482-1247
oigcompl@lapd.lacity.org
Janice Hahn – District 15 City Council Member
City Hall Office (213)-473-7015
200 N. Spring Street, Rm 435
Los Angeles, CA 90012
councilmember.hahn@lacity.org
boywithgrenade.org 
http://www.killercop.com pays rewards to legally kill cops.
Every time I read one of these stories I leave the same comment hoping that someone will follow through. This sort of activity will continue over and over and over and over and over until someone sues the cops. That’s the only thing they understand. Additionally, we need some people to start taking the cops up on their threat to arrest. They’ll have to cite a statute at the charging stage and of course there won’t be one.
Wow, and this is close to home for me! Something that I just realized though: Much of this (all?) seems to happen in very small cases. Has something like this ever happened with a fairly large group? I’m thinking about Scott Kelby’s photowalk day. OTOH, what if there were 400 reports of this type of incident all over the US. It’s kind of a scary though.
This is unreal…
I went around LA Harbor & LB Ports for 7hrs photographing all aspects of the ports. Got pulled over 5 different times and was told it was private property and needed to leave. Not a problem I moved on… Not the Port Police but even the LB Police were cool with me. Just informed them I was snapping photos for my personal portfolio & for a Photog contest the Port was having.
I was snapping photos all over the Pedro / LA Ports and many areas were “illegal” or marked private property and not once had a hassle. Except for the occasional I had to leave its private property which I moved on from…
PS: Check my Flickr stream for the Ports set and you can see some of the photos.
— REDICULOUS how many Sheriffs abuse there rights!
Actually, I am GLAD to see this type of behavior by the police. I dont think it should be a big deal for someone to get questioned while photographing something that could be so overwhemingly dangerous in a terrorist attack. What if these people were not just ‘regular’ people. It’s like going to the airport. I suppose these people are totally against, getting screened or having to take their shoes off in an effort to just make sure the plane is safe. Is it a nuisance? Yes, but is it worth it to not have to worry about our safety on that flight.
The ONLY type of person that would have a problem answering a few minor questions while photographing a refinery, bridges and a railroad complex at night, would seem to me to have something to hide. Two minutes of questions to ensure the safety of millions in the LA area. Would that really ruin your night?
Just noticed…
Mr. Sommers admitted that taking photos during the day (see photos)could expose “vulnerability” to the facility and, I guess, hundreds of thousands of people. He then states that he only takes photos at night (implying no cause for concern).
How can that be? I saw that cops car with a very clear, bright view of the license plate and the cop inside (even with tinted windows?) so those photos had to be taken in daylight.
What other lies is he telling?
I really want to thank Mr.Sommar for reveiling to the world photographs that can be used against us by terrorist. For one to think that there are no terrorist here in so cal, better think again. I dont appreciate Mr. Sommars for adding fuel to the fire of terrorism. Yes, I do agree with Nancy in that he is full of lies and giving disinformation regarding taking photographs only during the night. The photograph of the officer in the SUV was early taken during the day. I don’t believe one bit that the officers did anything wrong other then to identify you and your merry clan of radicals, after all the PATRIOT ACT is in force.
What a looser nothing better to do than mess with the police. Get a life.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/lapd-opens-investigation-into-confrontation-between-officer-and-photographer.html