When Police Forget About Those Pesky Cameras

As a line from an old movie once said, What we got here is failure to communicate”. In Chicago, WGN reporter Dan Ponce and WMAQ cameraman Donte Williams were both handcuffed outside of a hospital as they attempted to report on the murder of a six-year-old girl.  Police detained the pair while they were situated on a median in a street alongside the hospital. Ponce and Williams were eventually released, and no charges were pressed against them.

When there is a news crew present, there is a camera. And the good photogs behind the camera know that when you get into what might become a difficult situation or have news value, you turn that camera on and leave it rolling no matter what. Not only that, but the officer in question could SEE the camera being point at him. Everyone is allowed a moment of pique, but in keeping your heard incidents like this will never make for headlines. Note also the cameraman getting a close up shot of the officer’s badge and name.

The broadcast people here are not exempt from the situation. When confronted by a police officer, the worst thing you can do is argue. Don’t push it. Speak in measure tones and do not ratchet up the level of frustration.

There is no hiding from the camera. You must be prepared to pivot on a second’s notice and avoid being not just the butt of jokes and ridicule, but to lose your job.

The camera never blinks, and neither should you. Knowing how to react in a moment such as this will insure a proper image of yourself and your employer.

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