News: Photos of Galveston paper intern's arrest missing

[wigwam jones]

http://www.familybadge.org/screenprint.cfm?newsletterid=16980

 

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou070213_ac_internarrest.7bca466a.html

 

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Photos of Galveston paper intern's arrest missing

 

07:50 AM CST on Tuesday, February 13, 2007

 

By TJ Aulds

 

The Daily News

 

Published February 13, 2007

 

GALVESTON - Galveston police released few new details Monday about the arrest of

a Daily News photography intern as he covered Mardi Gras festivities Saturday night.

 

But it came to light that someone in possession of the photographer?s digital

camera after the arrest deleted two photographs taken about the time of the

arrest and that other photographs were taken with the camera after the arrest.

 

Nick Adams, 20, a Friendswood resident who is an intern with The Daily News, was

in downtown Galveston on Saturday night working on an assignment as part of the

newspaper?s online coverage of Mardi Gras festivities.

 

At about 9:40 p.m. Adams attempted to get photos of officers arresting a man for

public intoxication.

 

League City police officer Cliff Woitena, who was working alongside Galveston

officers, claimed Adams "pushed his way through police that were protecting

other police that were trying to make an arrest at 2200 Strand," according to a

police arrest affidavit.

 

Adams claims he never tried to move past the officer and never touched the officer.

 

Galveston Police Chief Kenneth Mack said he had not looked into the matter and

his only knowledge of what took place came from a Daily News report published in

Monday?s edition.

 

"I have not been formally briefed; that would be out of the norm," Mack said.

"It?s not something that would normally come to my attention because it?s just

an interference charge."

 

Mack said the fact that photographs recording the incident had disappeared from

the camera, and that 12 others had appeared on it after the camera was in police

possession was "unusual."

 

Those photos don?t reveal more than about a minute of activity within the mobile

jail?s booking tent. Shots include a close-up of what appears to be the belly of

a police officer, interior shots of the tent as well as an extremely

out-of-focus shot of a woman holding a clipboard.

 

"If there were photos taken on the camera he did not take that would be

unusual," Mack said. "That would not be within policy to take photos with his

camera."

 

Mack did not comment on the missing photos. He said that unless there was a

formal allegation of tampering with the equipment, he would not pursue the matter.

 

The two absent photos and additional snapshots were discovered after Adams had

been released from jail.

 

Embedded with a time code and numbered in order that the shots were taken, the

missing photographs were those Adams took of the public intoxication arrest.

 

The photo sequence picks up again with an out-of-focus shot that shows a

uniformed officer in front of the lens.

 

That photo is followed by the dozen taken an hour later inside the booking tent.

 

Police reports obtained by The Daily News through an open records request

revealed few new details of what led to Adams? arrest.

 

According to the arrest affidavit, Woitena told Adams twice to get back, but

that the photographer ignored the command and broke by Woitena and other

officers who had set up a perimeter around officers making the intoxication arrest.

 

Adams denied ever pushing by or coming into physical contact with any officer as

he attempted to get photos of the arrest.

 

He said it was Woitena who initiated the contact by shoving him.

 

Adams said he identified himself as a news photographer and asked the officer

not to shove him.

 

The League City officer was among many out-of-town police officers hired as

extra security for Mardi Gras.

 

Woitena, who is League City?s firearms training officer, declined a Daily News

request for an interview, instead referring all questions to the department?s

public information officer.

 

As part of Mardi Gras security protocols, officers work in teams as they patrol

the entertainment district downtown. When officers have to make an arrest, some

members of that team serve as human shields between the street crowds and the

officers and suspect.

 

Mack said the tactic ? commonly used in crowded areas ? is the best way to

protect the officers as well as the person being arrested.

 

On Saturday night, Woitena was acting as one of the shield officers.

 

Adams? arrest was the first of a Daily News employee as he was attempting to

cover a story at Mardi Gras.

 

Seeking Witnesses

 

The Galveston County Daily News would like to speak with anyone who witnessed

the arrest of photographer Nick Adams.

 

The arrest occurred about 9:40 p.m. Saturday in the 2200 block of The Strand.

 

Please contact Associate Editor Michael A. Smith at 409-683-5206, 800-561-3611

(Ext. 5206) or michael.smith(at)galvnews.com.

 

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[michaelging]

I hope he realizes that the deleted photos are still on the flash card and can be revived by using a program like rescue Pro.

[wisp]

or PhotoRec: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

 

gotta love the security firms

[michaelkh]

The deleted photos are only still on the flash card if they weren't overwritten by the many

photos taken after the arrest, of course. It only takes one police officer to be this smart for

them all to find out eventually.

[wigwam jones]

Follow-up News Story:

 

http://www.khou.com/news/local/galveston/stories/khou070216_jj_galvnewsarrest.7ffd161.html

 

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News photographer becomes the story after police arrest

 

06:14 PM CST on Friday, February 16, 2007

 

By Jason Whitely / 11 News

 

With only hours to go workers put the finishing touches on the final weekend of Mardi Gras.

 

KHOU - TV

 

The 20-year-old is a photography intern for the Galveston County Daily News who is now tangled in his own story.

 

"I went up to take a photo?. And the first thing he did was to push my camera back into my face and I stepped back," said Adams.

 

He was on assignment last Saturday shooting a street performer when, he says, a League City police officer, hired for Mardi Gras, overreacted and prevented him for photographing a routine arrest. "I went to take another photo and he immediately said 'Boy I told you not to take photos' and pushed me back again."

 

He was on assignment last Saturday shooting a street performer when, he says, a League City police officer, hired for Mardi Gras, overreacted and prevented him for photographing a routine arrest. "I went to take another photo and he immediately said 'Boy I told you not to take photos' and pushed me back again."

 

Adams was arrested for interfering with police.

 

He says the over aggressive officer also cracked the screen on his $4,000 camera and damaged its auto focus.

 

But there's more to this story than Adams arrest and his broken camera. The photographer says once he was handcuffed, someone deleted two pictures of the scene from his camera and then took ten others inside the police command tent.

 

It is alleged frames 11 and 12 are missing from the camera's hard drive.

 

He figures police snapped the shaky shots that follow. "I think it was crossing the line when they took a photo in the first place. What if they have your wallet? Do they take out $20 and put in $10."

 

The Galveston Daily News bailed out the 20-year-old and hired him prominent civil rights attorney, Anthony Griffin. "It's censorship at its rawest. There's no way in the world that that person should have touched the camera. He should have taken the camera, preserved it, put it into evidence and then released it."

 

"It may be a difference of perception between the two individuals as to what was going on. The only way to really know is to let this thing run its course through the criminal courts and for us to do an investigation on any conduct Mr. Adams will allege," said Galveston Police Capt. Phillip Morris.

 

Adams has to file an official complaint.

 

But before the police launch an internal investigation he wants the charges dropped and his cameras fixed.

 

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[steve_lantz]

This story was getting quite a bit of action on SportsShooter.com where Nick and several of his co-workers are members. They recovered over 580 images from the card.