What's Wrong With the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department?

You got to know that this officer's behavior is a direct reflection of his training or lack thereof. Hollywood bears some responsibility for the photography paranoia. They always have the bad guys doing photo reconnaissance before an attack, bombing, etc. When the facts (comprehensive detailed reports prepared by police agencies) show that it rarely occurs. In fact, there is nothing to suggest that the London bombers (for the record they did not plant explosives, they were suicide bombers), the 9/11 hijackers, the World Train Center Bombers, or the Madrid Bombers did any photographic reconnaissance. In fact, even in the long running bombing campaign by the IRA, there was almost never any photo recon done! Yet, as a photographer, anytime a police officer or rent-a-cop decides to infringe on my constitutional rights, they trot out this same line of B.S.!

I particularly like the part of the video where the "good" officer threatens to have the photographer placed on the terrorism watch list. Adding "every time you take a plane, any time you go on any type of ah … public transit system where they look at your identification, you’re gonna be stopped. You will be detained. You will be searched. You’ll be on the FBI’s "hit list". Is that what you want? " Statements like that are eerily similar to those made in the 1930's by Nazis. Makes the officer's brown shirt even more fitting.

Makes me really think long and hard about traveling to the Los Angeles area for vacation and spending my hard earned dollars, when it supports behavior like this. Not to mention I really don't what to deal with officers like this as, when I travel, I am always taking pictures.

Let the folks in power know how you feel:

Michael J. Gennaco, Chief Attorney
The Office of Independent Review
4900 South Eastern Avenue, Suite 204
Commerce, CA 90040
Phone: (323) 890-5360
Email: mjgennac@laoir.com

Karyn Mannis, Captain
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Internal Affairs Bureau
http://www.lasd.org/divisions/leaders…
(323) 890-5300

Eric Garcetti, City Council President
5500 Hollywood Blvd., 4th Floor
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: 323-957-4500
Email: councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org

Tom Labonge, Council Member, District 4
Hollywood Field Office
6501 Fountain Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Phone: (323) 957-6415
Email: councilmember.labonge@lacity.org