As part of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit against the federal government stemming from the Antonio Musumeci incident, they were given the above directive. It states that photographers are allowed to photograph federal buildings nationwide, and the NYCLU is encouraging photographers to carry it with them in the event they come across a problem.
As Lens reports:
The three-page bulletin reminds officers, agents and employees that, “absent reasonable suspicion or probable cause,” they “must allow individuals to photograph the exterior of federally owned or leased facilities from publicly accessible spaces” like streets, sidewalks, parks and plazas. Even when there seems to be reason to intercede and conduct a “field interview,” the directive says:
Officers should not seize the camera or its contents, and must be cautious not to give such ‘orders’ to a photographer to erase the contents of a camera, as this constitutes a seizure or detention.
You can get your copy here.
Source: Lens/New York Times
UPDATE: There have been comments on the web stating you have to provide personal information or log into Facebook in order to download the federal directive. We haven’t had time to look into the matter, but if the claims are true, that is unacceptable. Which, is why we’re providing the directive here for you to download as much as you want free of Big Brother’s prying eyes.
boywithgrenade.org 