Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Subway Photography is Still in Question
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 16, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 16, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It's been two years since the MTA tried to propose a ban on subway photography and it's been over a year since the MTA and NYPD decided not to impose a ban. And it's been five months since the MTA said they would work on making sure police officers wouldn't harrass photographs for taking photographs in subway and train stations. And yet... reader Jarid emailed us about getting stopped by a police after taking photographs on a subway on Monday.
Yesterday (8/14), at 8:00 a.m., I was stopped at removed from an A train by the NYPD at the Broadway-Nassau station for... taking photos. I was detained for a solid 15-20 minutes on the platform while being questioned repeatedly, made to turn over ID (including his asking why I was carrying a Massachusetts State ID -- I'm a student studying at Columbia), had to give over all sorts of personal information because, in the words of the cop, I had been "taken off a train," and then, probably to scare the hell out of me, the cop took my camera and placed it in his uniform chest pocket. He then read me the terrorism riot-act, so to speak, telling me I was frightening numerous passengers on the train who subsequently complained by taking photos, told me I was taking videos (which I was not -- I've never used the video feature of my camera) of sensitive areas (specifically tunnels -- which, again, I was not), and told me that similar matters can be turned over to the FBI for further investigation.
After handing my camera back, he then made me turn on my camera and scroll through the photos taken. First he said that he'd do it himself, but I made sure that the camera would not be let out of my possession again. After telling me that what I was doing was perfectly legal (my first question was, "Is what I'm doing illegal?"), he told me to place the camera in my pocket, stop taking photos, and be on my way to my destination. He called the incident a "headache" and can only be avoided by stopping taking photos in the system. Frankly, I'm a rail-hobbyist, who decided to take an early morning trip to Far Rockaway to watch the sunrise along the water, and take photos along the way. I'm not sure if it was my Mets hat or school sweatshirt that did me in, but I guess I triggered a response from some passengers -- or perhaps the officer saw me from his booth at High Street and decided to play the whole tough guy schtick with me at the next stop.
Jarid seems to have acted appropriately - he followed the officer and answered the questions - while the officer seems to have been overzealous especially since taking photographs of the subway is not illegal. Jarid initially posted about the incident on SubChat, which raised lots of interesting responses, many of them pointing out that while the police can stop you, you are not required to turn over your name or ID to them. Then it appeared on NYPDRant, where their posters went to town ("Sorry to inconvenience you, you f*cking p*ssy"). Jarid has contacted the Civilian Complaint Review Board and NYCLU to see what they say.
Above is one of the photographs that Jarid took.
Tagged
a train
broadway
civilian complaint review board
far rockaway
fbi
High Street
Massachusetts
mets
MTA
nypd
photos
police
review
subway
The Police
train
video
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
A city investigation discovered that when the bus arrived at its destination in Crown Heights, one student was lying in a pool of urine.
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 1:04 p.m. ET
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
The East River bridges were falling apart until the city implemented a long-term repair plan in the 1990s. Now, officials are forming a new program to keep them standing through the 21st century.
By
Clayton Guse
News
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
The East River bridges were falling apart until the city implemented a long-term repair plan in the 1990s. Now, officials are forming a new program to keep them standing through the 21st century.
By
Clayton Guse
Queens mother charged with murder in death of 5-year-old daughter, NYPD says
By
Ryan Kost
NYC’s whiplash weather continues into weekend with heavy winds, chilly temps, NWS says
By
Monica Melton
Early Addition: Winning an affordable housing lottery is great unless it's not
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .