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Student photographer detained, questioned for taking photos of bridge
Seattle police, Department of Homeland Security told student he had violated an unspecified law by photographing a federal facility
© 2004 Student Press Law Center
August 19, 2004
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of
Washington is calling for an investigation into a May incident involving a
college student who was detained and questioned by government officials after he
took pictures of a railroad bridge.
Ian Spiers, a 37-year-old photography
student from Shoreline Community College, was approached by a police officer
near the Ballard Locks after he was seen taking pictures of a nearby bridge for
a class project. The locks, which are a popular tourist attraction and are
located near a visitor's center, provide a link for boats between the saltwater
of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal, connecting to Lake
Union and Lake Washington.
The officer asked Spiers for identification,
but left him alone after Spiers asked if he was legally obligated to show
identification or if had had done anything wrong, the ACLU said.
Several
minutes later, several officers from the Seattle Police Department and the
Department of Homeland Security approached Spiers and said he had broken a law
by taking pictures of a federal facility, according to the Associated Press. The
officers detained and questioned Spiers for about 30 minutes, and then proceeded
to take his picture before releasing him, the AP reported.
The ACLU
contacted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the incident, however it denied
having any involvement in the matter. The Corps, which operates the locks,
referred the ACLU to the DHS, said Doug Honig, communications director for the
ACLU of Washington.
Debra Lewis, district engineer for the Army Corps,
said there are no regulations regarding who may visit or take photographs of the
locks.
On July 30, the ACLU sent a letter to the DHS asking for further
investigation into the incident, as well as "appropriate disciplinary action."
The ACLU also is requesting any photos of Spiers that were taken be
destroyed.
Honig said the DHS has not responded to the letter sent by the
ACLU.
"Security is very important, but government officials need to
distinguish between students and spies, tourists and terrorists," the ACLU said
in a statement about the incident.
The May incident was not the first
time government officials questioned Spiers about taking pictures at the
bridge.
In April, two Seattle police officers questioned Spiers at his
home after responding to a complaint that Spiers' presence near the bridge was
suspicious, according to the ACLU.
Spiers was told by a park ranger on
that day that there "was no problem" taking the pictures. In addition to taking
the photos, Spiers also was writing notes about the camera settings he was using
to take the photos, according to the ACLU.
Spiers, who was unavailable
for comment, has begun a Web site chronicling his two incidents with government
officials at http://69.93.170.43.
The Seattle Police Department did not
respond to requests for comment.
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