Police Chief Confirms Detaining Photographers Within Departmental Policy

Digetydog wrote:

The police officer saw something "different" and investigated in an appropriate manner. When things checked out, the officer released the photographer without incident.

Simply put, there are people out there who want to do us harm. They are terrorists who take pictures of buildings before they attack them and they are pedophiles who take pictures of little kids on playgrounds. Having our officers completely ignore evidence b/c someone might be inconvienced by speaking with the officer for a few minutes is a recipe for disaster. Ignoring suspicious behavior (learning how to fly without learning how to land) is how 9/11 happened.

In a public space, an officer as the right, and an obligation, to investigate any behavior outside the norm.