I’ve been fortunate in working small town newspapers in the Midwest that our papers worked to keep law enforcement and other first responder agencies in mutually beneficial and respectful relationships.
Larger cities can bring larger egos in both officers and journalists. Plus, larger departments make it more difficult for photographers to get to know most of the officers at a given time. That was a relationship I tried to develop in each town I worked in. Where I couldn’t get to know every officer, I tried to keep up friendly professional relations with key officers who could vouch for me at crime scenes and other investigation sites.
I’ve sensed a shift in the tension in the relationship in larger cities, just through news accounts. I’m hoping this one case is a wake up call to both journalists and law enforcement that both sides are working professionals attempting to serve the public.
From the Huffington Post:
A New York City police officer has been indicted for allegedly fabricating his reasons for arresting photographer Robert Stolarik, the New York Times reported Monday.
Stolarik, a freelance photographer who works for the New York Times, was arrested last year after trying to photograph a street fight. Officer Michael Ackermann said that Stolarik had disrupted another arrest by repeatedly setting off the flash in his face. The Times reported that after examining photographic evidence and witness testimonies, the Bronx district attorney has concluded that Stolarik did not use a flash and that Ackermann’s version of events could therefore not be true.