Police Detain ProPublica Photographer Near Texas BP Refinery

Far from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a freelance photographer for ProPublica gets detained by Texas City police and security from a BP refinery in Texas in new videos uploaded by the Galveston County Daily.

Lance Rosenfield, the photographer, was on assignment last week photographing the town from a public road when BP security began following him, according to his account on ProPublica's site. In the following clips, captured from what appears to be a police officer's dashboard camera, Rosenfield can be heard speaking with the security guard and the officer.

"Woah, is that legal to just share? I don't think that's legal to share," Rosenfield says when the security guard asks to get identity information from the police officer (6:15). "Your public police and i understand you're doing your job," he says later at 7:06, "but he's private security."



User name: GALVESTONCOUNTYDAILY
Location: Texas City, Texas
Date uploaded: July 9
Views: 14
Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

In the second clip from the scene at 0:16, Rosenfield says "Really my photograph has nothing to do with BP." Later, at 3:13 the security guard has a private chat with the police officer asking him for his phone number. "Let me call you in a couple minutes," he tells the officer, "so this guy doesn't sit back and have a hissy fit."



User name: GALVESTONCOUNTYDAILY
Location: Texas City, Texas
Date uploaded: July 9
Views: 9
User notes: City's policies on responding to journalists taking photographs or video near petrochemical facilities is under review after a photographer was detained while on assignment covering BP, officials said. Freelance photographer Lance Rosenfield was in Texas City on July 2 to get photos in and around BP's Texas City refinery for ProPublica. This is video from a police dash cam. Read more at http://www.galvnews.com.
Click here to watch this video on YouTube.