05-30-2010, 09:30 AM
Railcop, I appreciate the great commentary and thoughts. Thank you.
Now, for all concerned, I do want to reiterate that I wasn't trespassing. I parked in the retail parking lot, walked to the sidewalk, then to the bridge. It was only about 5 minutes before the policeman stopped. I don't think there was time for anyone to "report suspicious activity." The policeman just happened to be driving by and saw me. Also, I cooperated fully and did not give the officer a hard time. I complied with his requests and tried to explain what I was doing.
In retrospect, it wasn't that big of a deal. At the time, I was rather taken aback by being stopped for taking photos. It was just really weird, being that I am a "squeaky clean" law-abiding tax-paying citizen that doesn't get stopped by the police very often. And as I mentioned, I am a strong supporter of law enforcement officials, I appreciate what they do, and I certainly don't want to hamper their duties. They have to put up with enough crap as it is.
Related note: Last night, I had the opportunity to speak with a Brazoria County Sheriff. My neighbor's dog has been running loose and terrorizing the neighborhood - last night the dog chased my daughter's boyfriend through MY yard, barking and snarling - so I called the sherriff. After making the dog complaint, I told the Sheriff that I was a model railroader and that I sometimes take photos of rail bridges and such for use with my layout. I then asked him if he saw me taking photos of a railroad bridge, would he stop and question me. He said, without hesitation, "Absolutely." He then explained that with all the refineries here on the Gulf Coast, and with much of the chemicals being transported by rail, all law enforcement agencies down here have been instructed to check out all activities such as this. He said it certainly wasn't against the law to take photos, but they were obligated to check it out.
Now that I am aware, I will be better prepared to explain myself and take it in stride next time. I think I will take some photos of my layout to carry with me to show the officer what I am doing if I get questioned again. That's probably not a bad idea for all of us.
Now, for all concerned, I do want to reiterate that I wasn't trespassing. I parked in the retail parking lot, walked to the sidewalk, then to the bridge. It was only about 5 minutes before the policeman stopped. I don't think there was time for anyone to "report suspicious activity." The policeman just happened to be driving by and saw me. Also, I cooperated fully and did not give the officer a hard time. I complied with his requests and tried to explain what I was doing.
In retrospect, it wasn't that big of a deal. At the time, I was rather taken aback by being stopped for taking photos. It was just really weird, being that I am a "squeaky clean" law-abiding tax-paying citizen that doesn't get stopped by the police very often. And as I mentioned, I am a strong supporter of law enforcement officials, I appreciate what they do, and I certainly don't want to hamper their duties. They have to put up with enough crap as it is.
Related note: Last night, I had the opportunity to speak with a Brazoria County Sheriff. My neighbor's dog has been running loose and terrorizing the neighborhood - last night the dog chased my daughter's boyfriend through MY yard, barking and snarling - so I called the sherriff. After making the dog complaint, I told the Sheriff that I was a model railroader and that I sometimes take photos of rail bridges and such for use with my layout. I then asked him if he saw me taking photos of a railroad bridge, would he stop and question me. He said, without hesitation, "Absolutely." He then explained that with all the refineries here on the Gulf Coast, and with much of the chemicals being transported by rail, all law enforcement agencies down here have been instructed to check out all activities such as this. He said it certainly wasn't against the law to take photos, but they were obligated to check it out.
Now that I am aware, I will be better prepared to explain myself and take it in stride next time. I think I will take some photos of my layout to carry with me to show the officer what I am doing if I get questioned again. That's probably not a bad idea for all of us.
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times