Anyone ever been harassed by local Law Enforcement while shooting at their favorite airport? Here is my little story:

Several weeks ago, a friend and I were shooting from the parking deck at ATL when a APD (Atlanta Police Department) officer shows up. Didn't ask what we were doing, but demanded to know. Told us to give him our ID's and to put our camera's down. After he TOLD us that what we were doing was against the law (?), we said that we would gladly leave and go somewhere off the property to shoot. Immediately he told us that he would make sure that we were put on the FBI's most watched list if we ever got caught again taking pictures of airplanes! We politely left the area. One does have to understand something about the APD officers at ATL. Quite a few of them are sent there because they are about 1 step away from being dismissed due to poor performance, public complaints or just a bad officer.

Part II - but on a better note:

Today, I was not on ATL property taking pictures, but on a public roadway. Within 5 minutes, a yellow ATL operations truck pulls up along side of my truck and ask what am I doing. I told them I was shooting pictures of the planes. They asked if it was for business or pleasure. I told them pleasure and the two guys in the truck exchanged glances and they said "OK. Have a great day" and drove off. No problem. Another 5 minutes pass and here comes APD! The officer walks up to me and asks me, very politely, what I was doing and if I would show him my ID. I told him the same thing and he just smiled and asked if I had any weapons on myself or in my truck. I told him "no" and he asked if he could look in my truck. I gave him permission and told him that I was probably the most "boring" person he was going to have. He laughed and said that he wished all his contacts were boring. After figuring out I wasn't a radical terrorist, he told me why he stopped by and that I did have the lawful right to take pictures, but that another officer may stop by and ask me to leave. I told him no problem and he told me to have a nice day and left. Day get's better! About 15 minutes later a big black Ford Excursion pulls up behind me and this guy gets out and goes "Hey man! Hows it going! Great day to take pictures!" I looked at him and said "You are #3 so far". He asked who else has been by and I told him, and he just smiled! He pulled his ID out from his back pocket and showed me that he was a US Marshal and he was just stopping by to make sure I wasn't a "table cloth and fan belt dude"! We laughed about that and then he really surprised me by telling me where some even better places were to take pictures from! I was a bit taken back by that!!! He shook my hand and told me to enjoy the day and left!

I learned my lesson! Don't shoot from the airport, but off the property where they really can't bother you. And, if a US Marshal tells you where better places to shoot from are, you definitely tell him THANK YOU and take him up on the tips!