J-prof Kelly Toughill says police are far too willing to arrest or detain news photographers -- especially when the cops themselves are the subject.

From the Aug. 30 Toronto Star:

It is easy to understand why police don't want to be under the lens. Who would? Their job is difficult and messy at the best of times. At the worst of times, they must make snap judgments in dangerous conditions. Adding cameras to the mix can make a bad night even worse.

But keeping the cameras rolling is an important safeguard for society. Police have extraordinary power. Public scrutiny discourages abuse of that power. Videotape of the Rodney King beating in 1991 transformed Los Angeles policing. In Canada, video of the Taser-death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski prompted long overdue questions about when and how the electroshock weapons should be used.

That doesn't mean photographers have the right to get in the way, to trample over evidence or trespass on crime scenes or private property. They don't. Nor does it mean that photographers should shoot anything in sight. There are important questions of taste, ethics, news judgment and privacy that must be considered any time the lens is raised. But it is not up to police to make those judgments; it is up to photographers, editors and sometimes the courts. ...

Allowing officers to shut down anyone who distracts them and to hide their identity would turn public servants into secret police, a hallmark of repressive regimes throughout history.

The difficult truth is that public scrutiny comes with the badge. Officers must stop detaining photographers simply for doing their job.