NY Police Department Sued for Harassing Photographers

A civil liberties group sued the New York Police Department Thursday trying to stop its officers from detaining and questioning photographers and filmmakers who take pictures of city landmarks.

The suit was filed on behalf of Arun Wiita, 26, a Columbia University graduate student, who was handcuffed in July after an officer spotted him taking pictures of a Manhattan subway station. He was released after a half hour, saying that he was humiliated by the encounter although never being charged with a crime.


Lawyers for the New York Civil Liberties Union, representing the student said the police had made an abuse violating his First Amendment rights and accused them of systematically harassing photographers taking pictures in public places, which is a legal activity.

"There has been a constant refrain that we've heard from the photography community for several years now," said Christopher Dunn, NYCLU associate legal director and the lead attorney on the case, according to Reuters.

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