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9NEWS NOW photographer Greg Guise was rolling when an officer approached Mark Butler. Butler said the officer demanded he delete any pictures that showed the security checkpoints set up to screen fans for the visit by President George Bush. “It’s kind of like not being in America,” Butler said. Butler said he was not interested in the security but in the part of the stadium you could see beyond the gate.
Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley told 9NEWS NOW that there is no “hard and fast rule” in this situation. Wiley said it is a situation left to the discretion of the officer. When specifically asked about the legality of ordering someone to delete pictures Wiley answered, “We have the authority to ask them to remove the picture from the camera.” Arthur Spitzer, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area, said “ask” could be the operative word in that statement by Wiley. Spitzer said he knows of no law in these circumstances that would allow law enforcement to force someone to delete pictures.
Do not take pictures of, and avert your eyes, when addressing the king. And booing is prohibited.
We lost our country to the ditto-headed neo-conservative boot-licking sycophants behind those behind Bush a long time ago.
I’d take more pictures and then take picture of the idiot telling me to delete my pictures. Then I’d sell them to the National Enquirer and try to spell the idiot’s name right.
Yes there is. The rule is to back the fuck off and leave the citizen alone.
How is this a story? The Agent was doing his job protecting the integrity of the security measures used at the ballpark.
If he had taken the camera or threatened to arrest the guy, then you would have a case. But as it is its just the Secret Service Agent doing his job.
I think the knot in some peoples panties just needs to be loosened a little.
I think the land of free isn’t so free anymore…
I agree with Jim. Security is a serious concern for the president.
I’ve been in the exact same situation as the poster of this story. I was impressed and pleased that he knew enough to let me delete the photos instead of confiscating my camera.
(this was way back before digital cameras were comon.)
#4 – I think the knot in some peoples panties just needs to be loosened a little.
That’s only true if the people you mean are carrying a badge.
Give the SS guy a break. He is trying to protect us from something worse than President Bush … President Cheney.
Nothing so odd about this. Its just the Secret Service doing their job. It could/would happen with any prez.
Did you see the video of the guy who was pestering Obama for a photo? The SS just pulled him out of the way and he’s fortunate he didn’t get arrested after he continued his antics after Obama came out of a shop he was visiting.
God forbid something happened to Bush, then we would really get Dicked.
#8 LOL! That was good!
I see a number of pissy liberals posting, yet saying nothing. You’re owned. Deal with it.
#12 – That’s nice Jimmy… When you go upstairs for a snack, say hi to your mom for me.
Geez. The Secret Service guy was as dumb as Ollie North. Deleting the images from your camera is no guarantee they’re gone.
PhotoRescue, among others shows this to me on a regular basis.
Digital images are recoverable!
So is the Secret Service admitting that, if a terrorist was to photograph the security checkpoints and study them, they could easily bypass the security?
That’s like having using encryption software that only works as long as the source code is “secret”.
Pretending to have security is no security at all.
Argue all day about whether or not it was right or wrong for the SS agent to aproach this guy… it still won’t matter because his enforcement aproach was entirly ineffective.
Let’s face it he only wanted someone to harass. If he had felt there was a real security risk he would have had to destroy the photo’s not just tag them as invisible to the camera.
Delete photo’s off of flash memory? Hah. The only way to destroy them is to overwrite them. A real terrorist would simply recover them when he got to a PC PDA or cell phone.
Perhaps I could get a position on that security detail. I’m pretty sure I qualify.
#16 – If he had felt there was a real security risk he would have had to destroy the photo’s not just tag them as invisible to the camera.
Yes and… he didn’t even do that. He asked the tourist to delete the photos… which were just photos of a stadium and stuff that the on scene news crew and all of the general public could see plain as day…
There is nothing in the story to lead me to believe that the private citizen tourist guy actually complied with anything, deleted anything, or was even hassled beyond being asked to delete photos.
Were it not for my being particularly sensitive to the increased level of abusiveness we are seeing from police and other authorities… and my concerns about our eroding civil rights… I wouldn’t even comment at all on this non-issue.
The guy should be glad that the inappropriate request came from a Secret Service agent and not a beat cop. The agent is trained to the nth degree and was fully in control of himself. The cop would have been offended by the perception of disrespect and beaten the guy up.
#12, #13 I’ve already “seen” James’ Mom, Lord help me!
Isn’t taking pictures in public one of “open society” benefits we are suppose to be fighting for?
Seems like we are now fighting to gain BACK those freedoms. I’m fearing this government more every day.
No ‘no “hard and fast rule”’ about freedom of the press?
My goodness, it’s harder and harder to recognize my beloved America.
Yes the pictures are recoverable. That, however, is not the issue. The fact that he was asked at all is the disturbing part.