DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

End Of A Tale. Seattle Officer Who Threatened To Arrest News Editor For Taking A Picture Gets The Sack

Feb 5, 2014 by Udi Tirosh 13 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Back in July, 2013 we reported an incident where Seattle’s The Stranger news editor – Dominic Holden – was threatened to be arrested for photographing a person on the street along with the cops around him.

End Of A Tale. Seattle Officer Who Threatened To Arrest News Editor For Taking A Picture Gets The Sack

Usually those incidents get some media buzz. Sometime a police spokesman will issue a statement, and this is it. But this story, after going viral has a more conclusive ending.

Six months after the incident, the threatening officer – deputy Patrick “K.C.” Saulet – was fired by King County sheriff John Urquhart.

While on a phone call, the sheriff assured Holden that “Threatening to arrest a citizen for legally taking photos of cops while on public property, is a constitutional violation, as far as I am concerned”, which is exactly the change of wind we hope to see with how police are treating photographers.

This paragraph from a disciplinary letter issued to Saulet by the sheriff pretty much sums it up:

Suffice it to say, in my judgement, the evidence shows that (i) you abused your authority in your dealings with Mr. Holden on July 30, and (ii) thereafter, rather than be accountable, you attempted to recast events in a light more favorable to you. Stated broadly, for example, you claim you interacted with Mr. Holden in a civil, professional manner that was nothing more than ‘social contact’; you did little more than tell him for his benefit that he couldn’t ride on Metro property because doing so is a $66 infraction; [you claim that two other deputies] Shook and Mikulcik told him the same thing; and you once calmly pointed him in a direction you were suggesting he leave. But the evidence is that you approached Mr. Holden because you took exception with him lawfully exercising his right to take photographs of you and your colleagues while lawfully standing on public property; you were agitated and confrontational; you essentially ‘squared off’ with him; you expressly and/or implicitly threatened to arrest him if he did not leave immediately in the specific direction you pointed, not once but five times (misidentifying public property as private property in the process); and Shook and Mikulcik deny the statement you attribute to them.#

This decision did not go unbattled and both Saulet and the union behind him called it a “witch hunt” partially due to a large investigation file.

Holden says he is not gleeful about Saulet’s termination, neither are we. We do, however, appreciate the fact that this time the complaint was not covered up.

[Sheriff Fires Cop Who Threatened to Arrest Me for Taking Photos of Cops via jseliger]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailThe News Editor Of Seattle’s The Stranger Threatened by Cops For Photographing. Makes a Great Story Complaint Upheld Against Police Officer Who Threatened to Make Street Photographer’s Day a ‘Living Hell’ Default ThumbnailiPad + iPhone Picture in Picture In 8 Easy Steps Easter Island statues threatened by selfie-taking tourists picking their noses

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: photography is not a crime

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

« Typhoon Haiyan – The Aftermath
Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Photographers »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • New transcription features are added to Davinci Resolve 18.6.4
  • Single 8mm film resurrected from the dead by open source project
  • Uber Eats is AI-Generating Images, and it’s terrible at it
  • The Comprehensive Tech Guide To Pinhole Photography
  • Groundbreaking AI “reads your mind”: Turns thoughts into images with 75% accuracy

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy