Are you ready to be disturbed (at least slightly)? If you pilot a drone and enjoy aerial photography, then this is going to hit pretty close to home.
Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department station in Lake Forest, California recently harassed a drone pilot that was simply taking photograph. He was flying within FAA rules and regulations, his photos were for non-commercial use. Can somebody tell me where the crime is?
Thanks Photography is Not a Crime (PINAC) for sharing this story!
The owner of the youtube channel The Junkyard News, the drone pilot in this story, has supplied us with a related video:
First Amendment Test Detained And Questioned By Orange County Sheriff @ Saddleback Station
And now for the disturbing quote from author Andrew Meyer:
“Am I being lawfully detained or am I free to go?”
“You’re being detained.”
“Under suspicion of what crime?”
“Flying a drone.”
California Deputies Detain Man For Taking Pictures, Claim Owning Drone Creates Suspicion of a Crime
About Photography is Not a Crime (PINAC)
Photography is Not a Crime (PINAC) was launched in 2007 after Miami multimedia journalist Carlos Miller was arrested for taking photos of Miami police during a journalistic assignment in order to document his trial.
He quickly learned that citizens from all over the country were being harassed, threatened and arrested for recording in public, so he began documenting these incidents on his blog as he waited for his trial to begin.
