Officer Bob

JOHNSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE - Yes indeedy, seems there’s hope for law and order inna land when you read stories like this. We don’t need people taking pictures of us, how many times I gotta tell ya? Maybe soon enough, I won’t have to. Down in Tennessee, the long arm of da law knows what to do with smart alecks who take photographs of police: arrest them.

Sure, it ain’t really illegal to take an officer’s picture — yet.

Johnson County sheriff’s deputy arrested Scott Conover for unlawful photography.

“He says you took a picture of me. It’s illegal to take a picture of a law enforcement officer,” said Conover.

Conover took a picture of a sheriff’s deputy on the side of the road on a traffic stop. Conover was stunned by the charge.

“This is a public highway,” said Conover.

And it was not a place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy as Tennessee code states. The deputy also asked Conover to delete the picture three times.

“He said if you don’t give it to me, you’re going to jail,” said Conover.

Under the advice of the Johnson County attorney, the sheriff would not comment and the arresting deputy said he didn’t want to incriminate himself by talking to us.

In an affidavit, the deputy said he saw something black with a red light which he thought was a threat. Conover was also arrested for pointing a laser at a law enforcement officer.

“At no time did I have a laser. I had an iPhone,” said Conover.