The Long Arm of the Law doesn’t like it when ordinary citizens take photos of them. Bill Beebe has an interesting post about his experiences with Orange County Sheriff Deputies near his home.
Beebe noticed a car that just didn’t look right – heavily tinted windows, smoked-cover over the license plate, and parked in an unusual spot - so he took a photo of it. It turns out the car was an unmarked vehicle with Orange County Deputies who felt compelled to violate his civil rights. When the deputy saw Beebe taking photos, he started up his car and pulled Beebe over in a traffic stop.
Really, guys? Photography is not a crime. According to his post, the officer only wanted to confirm that Beebe lived in the neighborhood. Well, that’s just bullshit. You don’t have to live in a neighborhood in order to take photos from a public place. There is no expectation of privacy on the street and the cop was unjustified in pulling over a person for engaging in lawful and Constitutionally protected (photography is free speech) actions.
The icing on the cake is that the unmarked car actually violates Florida law by obscuring its license plate.
Sheriff Demings, the people of Orange County deserve better.
Read Bill Beebe’s full post with photos of the unmarked car on his blog.
