Frischling: New York Policeman Beat Me Up!

Here's a gem from the National Press Photographers Association mailing list, a goldmine of fascinating Steven Frischling FishTales. It's all now stored on Google Groups under bit.listserv.nppa-l.

In this particular adventure, Frischling describes having his head slammed into a car by a police officer, handcuffed, threatened with arrest and held for 90 minutes, then smacked in the face! The cop was "assisted" (what?) by a "volunteer medic" (what?) who was out to take revenge on Frischling because of a damaging photo Frischling had taken of the "volunteer medic" injecting someone with a needle without wearing gloves.

Frischling goes on to say that he has had 27 run-ins with this single police offer, plus more run-ins with his five buddies totalling 42 incidents over two years! (Though according to our math, what he lists adds up to 37, not 42.) Now, it is impossible to tell if any of this did or did not happen, who the officer was or even where in New York. We leave it up to you to decide if this story is credible. Our response is a hearty, "L dot O dot L dot."

A few of the responses on this mailing list are very interesting, so we include those too.

bit.listserv.nppa-l: Unwarranted Police Brutality

Steven E. Frischling 4/23/99

**WARNING THE FOLLOWING IS VENTING** 

This afternoon on my way to the bank I stopped to photograph an auto accident with entrapment, happened right in front of the bank.  As I stepped out of my car, no cameras in hand or anything, a cop who I have had minor run-ins with in the past came up behind me, pushing me, which resulted in my head being slammed into the car.  Following the unexpected head slam I was hand cuffed and held for 90 minutes, and given five field interviews. In the process the officer tried every single tactic he could to take me in, and in the processed enlisted the help of a local volunteer Medic (who is upset that I shot and published photo of him sticking a patient with a needle while not wearing gloves). 

The list of general reasons the officer tried to me arrested for are long and ended up being tied into two storied which did not go together and generated by two sources, one the cop, the other the medic.  The officer ran my car's VIN number for ownership, then ran me for wants-and-warrants. He tried to find a statute that would not allow me to pull off to the shoulder to photograph the extrication, when he found it, I informed him that I had an NYC Police Vehicle ID in my windshield, after he checked it out, he was informed that Nassau County accepts the NYC ID. The officer proceeded to check for me having an unregistered bullet proof vest in my car, after checked the panel numbers of the vest he learned I did own the vest and had registered the panel numbers with the NYC Police. Next angle was my radios, he lost that one when County Public Affairs notified him that an NYC Police Vehicle, ID allows for mobile one way radios, and that two-way radios are unregulated if they are a CB, and my other two way portable was set up for a private user (Metro Traffic and if I have a valid ID I can have and use it). The medic chimed in that I had a Star-of-Life sticker  on my back window, and maybe that constituted me impersonating an EMT (knowing my NYState EMT just expired), so they ran a check on me for that and were informed that that matter has to be dealt with by the NY State Dept. of Health or Dept. of Transportation, and not County Police, as well the sticker is in no way illegal to have on the car, esspecially if I am certifed in any area of EMS in another state, which I am.  After all of this, and a few other things,included the repeated question of is a freelance photog to be considered working journalists with county issued press credentials (public affairs said that I was a working journalist and they should give me my ID back).  I was let go with a solid backhand smack to the mouth, for what I don't know, I was still in cuffs and then released. 

The only thing they had on me was a non-arrestable or ticketable offense.  I have 30 days to transfer my California drivers licesne to New York State.  The fact that I have Conn. plates on my car is legal, as they werre informed by the Dispatcher, and DMV. 

I hope this makes some sense, I just a little pissed off right now.  I would go find a lawyer, except the only witnesses to the incident are three police officer and a vollie Medic who is also a full time County Police Medic. 

I know all I need to do right now is document  this situation, and be calm and clear on Monday in court when I have to appear for a notice to appear ticket that was served to me,  by this cop about a month ago while photographing a medi-vac on a Parkway, the charge was "Impeding Justice." I can find no law against this, as an accident is not justice, but medical rescue, and the Parkway is the State jurisdication, not the county's.
 If anyone has the comment of "you should not be shooting MVA's save it for  yourself."  Maybe I am wrong in this feeling, but I dislike having my head slammed into the hood of my car, being held in cuffs for 90 minutes and being smacked in the mouth. 

Happy Hunting Y'all 

Steven E. Frischling
Photojournalist
1(516)791-6114 - Voice
1(630)982-5179 - Fax
ste...@frischling.com
http://www.frischling.com/steven
                  -
Basic Elemental, Instinct To Survive,
Stirs The Higher Passions, Thrill To Be Alive 

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JJDubs 4/23/99 

Got any witnesses? 

John J. Watkins 

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Steven E. Frischling 4/23/99 

---- Begin Original Message ----
Got any witnesses?
John J. Watkins
---- End Original Message ---- 

John:
Yes, I have 3 witnesses, none of whom will be any help at all.  Two police officers, and a Vollie Medic who's fulltime job is as a County Police Paramedic, same medic mentioned in the rant. 

I am trying to get the swelling on my jaw line to show up on film,, no such luck, and the bump/mound on the side of my head under my hair, so no way to shoot that. Will see my Doc in the AM and have him look at it and document it. I am sure the bruises will hold over night if not iced that much.  Not a lot of discolouring, but swelling is obvious. 

Steven E. Frischling
Photojournalist
1(516)791-6114 - Voice
1(630)982-5179 - Fax
ste...@frischling.com
http://www.frischling.com/steven                
           -
Basic Elemental, Instinct To Survive,
Stirs The Higher Passions, Thrill To Be Alive
                  -
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Sean and Melanie Elliot 4/23/99  

Fish, Thanks for venting.  It makes a fascinating narrative.  I'm afraid I can't feel a whole lot of sympathy (not that you were asking) that you had trouble with police and ems whith whom you have a "history". 

It might be time to move to a different venue and see if you can build positive relations with cops and ems there instead of banging your head (pun intened) against the proverbial brick wall where you are now. 

This is not a flame.  You do fine work, but you do seem to have more problems per capita than most shooters I know. 

Sean
<------------>
Sean D. Elliot
The Day (New London, CT)
s.el...@newlondonday.com
<-----------------------> 

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Steven E. Frischling 4/23/99
---- Begin Original Message ----
This is not a flame.  You do fine work, but you do seem to have more problems per capita than most shooters I know. Sean
<------------>
Howdy Sean: 

I have a somewhat high amount of incidents with the same six police officers in my local precinct.  The Medic is a County Police Medic in my local precinct.  My relations with about 90% of my local precinct is pretty darn good, up to an including the local precincts web site has a number of my photos on the home page. I have a long standing problem with one cop, his ex-partner and at times this medic (who is related to one of the cops, the one I had a problem with today).  The other three cops are all friendly with, or rotating partners with the cop I originally had a problem with. 

The initial problem never needed to happen. I was photographing a blood drive at a local fire house, and this cop was giving blood in uniform. I asked the cop if I could shoot him giving blood and a photo of him ran in the local paper giving me a thumbs up and smiling.  Turns out cops cannot give blood on duty and he was suspended for three days.  Ever since then he had been taking his anger out on me at any scene I am at. Aside from the medic being related to one of the cops I have a problem with, I shot a photo of him sticking a patient with a "hot stick", ie: not through an IV tube, and with out gloves.  Hot sticking is against medical proticol, and he was fined $200, as well he was not wearing any gloves on a heavy bleading victim, another $200 fine, and he had to sit through a refresher class on an unpaid day off.  So it is not out of the blue with these two guys, the other four are taking out these two guys vengence on me, I understand that. I do not agree with that. 

So while my problems might be high per capita, it is 27 documented run ins with the cop who started the problem, 6 (now 7) with his ex-partner, 3 with the medic and three other cops that make up the 6 I have run ins with.  There should be a limit to this kind or stuff, I think two years and 42 incidents has more than made up for these guys breaking the rules and getting caught on film. 

I did  not take your e-mail as a flame.  And my work could be better as of late, but thanks :0) 

Steven E. Frischling
Photojournalist
1(516)791-6114 - Voice
1(630)982-5179 - Fax
ste...@frischling.com
http://www.frischling.com/steven
           -
Basic Elemental, Instinct To Survive,
Stirs The Higher Passions, Thrill To Be Alive

                  -

Our leading suspects:

Happy Lying!