Questioned at Port Washington....for the THIRD time!

Recently, there has been track work going on at PW. During my hours off from school, I've been paying a visit to the station and taking some pictures with my camera phone. The first time I was stopped was by a conductor. I politely told him that what I was doing was NOT illegal. He left saying he would verify that....nothing ever happened. This was all while the track gang was smiling and waving at me.

The 2nd time actually involved a Q&A session with an MTA cop. A conductor saw me taking a picture of one of the trains in the station, and started questioning me, then called me in to the police. He told me it was illegal, and once again, I politely told him it was not. I didn't get frustrated or anything of the sort. At this point in time, I just don't give a shit. What did piss me off though, is that he took my words and turned them around when we were talking with the cop. Instead of saying that I had said that it was not illegal, the conductor said I told him that I didn't have to stop and that I could do whatever I want. The cop didn't ask for any ID or info, just gave me the whole terrorist and this day in age bullshit.

Today however, was absolutely rediculous. While waiting for a certain someone on this board to show up, a friend and I stood on the northern most pedestrian bridge. A track gang was working over on track 1. I spotted an M7 pulling in, and moved around a bit on the bridge, trying to see which track it was going on to. At the same time, there was a train on track 4. The M7 came in on 5. I got a shot of it as it came it. A few minutes later, I saw the engineer walk right below me.

After the certain someone didn't show up, my friend and I decided to leave. The second we started walking, a Port Washington PD cop shows up out of no where and stops us. He asked for our ID and started questioning us. He even made me lift up my damn shirt to show him I was hiding anything! He told me that someone said I had been filming. I told him no, but that I had taken a picture of the train right below us as it pulled in. He never gave me any of the this is illegal bullshit, but did ask for us to understand why he was questioning us, which is when I told him I have no problem being questioned. He seemed happy to hear this. I didn't mind the situation until out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a second Port PD car comming up the parking lot, and then the cop comming up onto the bridge. He ripped my friends wallet out of my friends hand and then demanded to see his ID(my friend is a volunteer medic for the town and the cop saw the badge in his wallet). We told him the other officer had our IDs.

Shortly after, the first cop gave us our IDs and told us to have a nice day. We said so long and started heading down the stairs to the platform. That's when I spotted a THIRD cop on the south bridge! WTF! I can understand 1 cop comming to question two teens, but 3 cops(One of which was a UC)!

I saw someone from the track gang also looking down the platform at us. I figured it was either him or the engineer, but the engineer was no where to be seen. And he didn't seemed to peeved about me taking a picture either, even when he walked right by me.

And to top it all off, that UC spotted my friend and I on Main St right after the situation, slowed down, stared at us, and then picked up his radio.

I don't mind being questioned. I don't mind explaining myself. What I do mind is people telling me what I'm doing is illegal when I know it's not, people turning my words around, and people accusing me of something that I am incapable of! The first cop to report to the "scene" today was very polite, and I told him I appreciated that. The rest of the people involved today can all go to hell though.

Good thing you're not SalaamAllah - you'd be screaming that the cops stopped you because they're racist Nazis!

from your Post NIMBY this is 100% miss conduct to a minor, you are still under 18?, and you are a minority so that right there my man is a lawsuite aginst the PWPD for harassment and disorderly conduct. if they got nothing better to do then chace AMERICAN teens from a train station for haveing a camera around you neck (weather or not you shot a picture) you got called in simply for haveing a photographic device around your neck.

With the above this is why we rail fans need to stop ignoreing me and bitching about my spelling, and try to become a group and basicly write group letters to the senators requesting rail fan passes in extange for our aid in the national security, they give us an IDcard and a transmitter to the PD and if we SEE SOMETHING WE SAY SOMETHING. that inturn will leave the "real" cops free to respond to the real thing instead of a foamer or 2 snapping a few shot.

this is getting rediculas for GOD sakes were AMERICAN BORN AMERICAN CITIZANS and our names are probly already in the system for being harassed, why not put RAIL FAN next to them and under that NO THREAT.
Better then god bless this USA

This is really going to piss you off Joe....I didn't even have a camera. I was using my cell phone camera.

BTW, I am completely against passes. All they do is make things more of a pain in the ass. All it's going to do is make us have to waste time to go apply for one. And then the cops are STILL going to question us, and what happens when I'm just passing through somewhere and I want to get a quick shot of a train and I don't have a pass and a cop comes up to me. Then it WILL be illegal. No thanks man

And BTW, I'm not going on any kind of lawsuit binge here, I had no problem with the 1st cop for the most part as he was very polite. It's the other 2 cops that pissed me and my friend off, as well as the person who called us in.

they really need a good reason to slap cuffs on you and opening a shutter or carrying a camera is not a legal reason for an arrest.

All those police coming for "suspicious" people yet I can't get one to show up when I got a bunch of guys urinating in my alleyway?
Something is really, really wrong with this country. It seems law abiding citizens are now criminals while criminals go about breaking laws because the cops are too busy with "Depends Patrol".
They probably had all those cops respond because you were "caught" taking photos (with a cellphone) there before. Even if they don't have your ID, they probably have your picture. It's "OK" for them to take your photo without telling you but it's not okey for you to take a photo. Welcome to the police state, my friend.

I let them Harass me and Respectfully pull out my photos and show them my collection and prove to them that im a fan and not a criminal. with our the masses i cannot go against them as a whole but rather one by one. one cop alreadys knows me and let me go, i have been id'd and let go, they really need a good reason to slap cuffs on you and opening a shutter or carrying a camera is not a legal reason for an arrest.

Everytime I take pictures of a train anywhere nobody questions me and I do it on a daily basis. I did it in jamiaca a few weeks ago and nobody questioned me, I just got waves and sometimes a toot toot. I even got a shot of me with 509. that made my day being in a photo with the great DM.

"that made my day being in a photo with the great DM."

Why do you refer to the DM30AC as "the great DM" in every post you make? What do you have wet dreams over DM30's?

NIMBY and LI,

I pride myself on seeing both sides of a situation, and trying to objectively analize a problem that comes along. I don't wish to hurt feelings, but you guys seem to have way too much time on your hands.

The cops were called because you were doing what your Congressman has deemed a "suspicious activity". While it sounds like one of the cops was an oaf, the other seems to have been quite professional in carrying out the duty his captain has demanded.

Lighten up, guys. Yes, this whole "terrorists-in-the-bushes" stuff is completely out of control, and yes, I believe this is more about control than about terrorists with a little bit of "step-aside-I'll-protect-you" macho cop crap thrown into the mix.

But you are being just as bad when you whine that nobdody can question, ask, or look at you crosseyed. You are young, and half the population is stupid enough to have no respect for young people. Some of that half (maybe lots more) are cops and trainmen.

With the crap the media is feeding stupid people there is a state of panic out there.

Show that you are not part of the stupid half. Be reasonable, professional and accommodating. If you feel a cop was abusive by grabbing your stuff, write a complaint.

Sorry, guys, in this republic there is no guarantee that in your course of doing something a little out of the ordinary you woun't be hastled, insulted, called names or poked around a little. You're probably a bit lucky it was a cop who found you rather than some crackhead looking to steal your camera.

Give it a break. Become politically active if you don't like the direction this country is taking. Write to the police commissioner if you feel abused. But the whining -- geez -- lighten up... In my day the cops used to kick you a-- and steal your stuff.

And please don't take this the wrong way. I really like you guys.

Clemuel

KFRG

Why do you refer to the DM30AC as "the great DM" in every post you make? What do you have wet dreams over DM30's?


I refer to the DM30AC as "the great DM" because in my opinion they are great.

NIMBY,

If you are going to be around the line in Port Washington on a regular basis, then I suggest you set up an appointment to meet the municipal police chief and present your case. Explain what you are doing and help them to understand that rail buffs like yourself can be an extra set of eyes and shouldn't be chased away. If you make a good impression, it should go a long way towards reducing their suspicion.

I would also recommend you put away the camera phone and get a real camera. If you're going to take pictures, you should look and act like a photographer.

Good luck.

Jim

The only reason I was there was because I was intending on meeting someone there. I only ended up at PW station the other 2 times because I heard something that sparked my interest. I had not been intending on taking pictures that day, and that's why I didn't have my camera with me. I only took a shot at PW yesterday because I figured I might as well, and the set up had been something that I generally don't see there.

Also, Clem, I have no problem with being QUESTIONED about what I'm doing, as long as it is done in a respectful manner. It is when I am ACCUSED of breaking a non-existing law or I am treated in a disrespectful manner that I become upset with the situation. I had no problem with the first officer that arrived on the scene. He was extremely polite and I was more than happy to return the favor. It was the way the other two cops acted that upset me. This is why I was angered at PW, and it is the same reason I was angered at Ronkonkoma, as well as Port Jeff.

The thing that bewilders me is how the person who reported me could have said I was filming. The only thing I had on me was my cell phone, which would've been VERY hard for the MOW worker to have seen considering how far he was. The engineer of the M7 that I took the photo of didn't seem phased by my taking a picture. This leaves me to believe that the only reason a report was made is simply because I was standing there. I could certainly be wrong, but I myself see no other cause for the events that occured.

NIMBY,

It was the conductor who reported you to the Movement Bureau on the radio. He was told by the engineer that you were taking pictures. Probably some details were lost in the message, as they usually are.

The Railroad's protocol, which was supplied by the MTA Police, requires the crew to report anyone taking pictures.

The Movement Bureau gave the information to the MTA Police who were too busy giving tickets in the Hicksville parking lot to respond to the North Shore. They passed it on to the Port Washington Police, diverting them from their busy morning of fighting crime to get out of their cars to see you.

The rest, as they say, is history.


Clem

Impressive information Clem! Whats with those EMU engineers calling 204 on everyone... So Jared, next time you'll come with me to the Oyster Bay branch, nice fall colors, and diesels!

-Barry