Walmart reports school project to police... secret service investigates.

[Janitor]

It was handeled ok by everyone involved. Maybe not great, but ok. The Wallmart guy most likely has a 'zero tolerance' set of rules he has to follow. Just like there's some bars that card _everyone_ who orders a drink. It keeps people at the cash register from having to make any value judgement at all.

The cop, I suppose, could have stopped it at his level. But even if it was solely for a bit of butt covering, he turned it over to the Secret Service. Probably not a huge deal by itself.

They investigated. Scared the crap out of everyone, but it's not really their fault that their mere presence has that affect. They are bound by sets of rules too, and they turned it over to the AG.

Who, while maybe sitting there having a cup of coffee and going through his inbox may well have thought ...

"What in the hec is this crap? You'd think people had nothing better to do with their time ...".

Case closed.
-

 

[Blue Line]

you have to remember that once the Secret Service was called they have to investigate. It can't be ignored. Walmart calls the police who call the Secret Service lots of passing the buck which has to stop somewhere. Can you see what would have happened if the agents had blown it off with out checking into what was reported to them and the guy shows up at the white house or some political event and does something he shouldn't have? Walmart says we tried to warn everyone and called the police, Police say we tried to warn everyone and called the Service. They report the facts of the case to the US Attorneys office in that district and let the lawyers make the decision.

Why is it always one of these artsy fartsy types that make the news in these type of cases?

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Once it's reported to the Secret Service, they have to investigate. Notice they took no further action. Now, if they had charged the kid, that would be something else entirely.

But they left the kid with a verbal sword hanging over his head: "The Attorney General will decide if charges will be brought ..." That's just playing mind games with the poor kid.

I experienced something similar a few years ago in the midst of a divorce. My then wife had walked out, went back where she came from taking several suitcases of new clothes and stuff, but leaving a pile of other "stuff" (already wrapped up so I didn't know what it was) in the guest room with instructions to send it to her. My attorney instructed me not to send anything anywhere until he okayed it.

Next thing I know, about a week before Christmas, I got a call from a detective at the local PD asking why I was refusing to send my step-son's clothing to him. I explained that there was no clothing, that the matter was in court, that I was acting under advice of an attorney, and she then told me that because a "child" (16 years old) was involved, she would be turning the matter over to the state department of child welfare for investigation.

I tried to explain to her that they had no jurisdiction, because the kid wasn't in the United States, and that the letter my wife had sent was a lie and she (the cop) was free to come by any time at all to see for herself that I was not keeping the kid's clothes. She refused, and stuck by her story that she was turning the case over to child welfare. I spent absolutely the worst Christmas and New Years I can remember, expecting that the next time the phone rang it would be the folks from the state. The call never came.

Some while later the attorney told me to go ahead and send the stuff (it was mostly books -- since I had to fill out customs forms, I had to open the packages so I could verify that there were no bombs), but to ask the PD to verify the inventory before I did so. Took forever to get them to respond. Finally, they sent the school D.A.R.E. officer over after school let out for the day, and we went through the stuff. He admitted he didn't know why he was there, because (he said) there was no complaint. I said sure there is, my wife wrote directly to the chief. The officer said he couldn't find anything, but it turned out he's a photographer and we had a great time talking cameras while we sorted through the stuff.

Fast forward several months to when the case finally got a court date, and my attorney went to the PD to get a copy of the police report to use as evidence of her harrassment. Turns out the detective CLOSED OUT THE CASE the day after I had talked to her. No referral to the state. But she didn't call to tell me that, she didn't respond to several calls from me and several calls from my attorney asking to discuss the matter before she turned it over. She blew us off, leaving my to agonize while she enjoyed her Christmas.

Authorities have no concept of how distressing their abuse of power can be. In my case the cop could have picked up the phone and told me she had closed out the case. In the incident with the kid, the Secret Service could have told the kid they saw nothing wrong and would file a report stating that. They had no need or reason to threaten him with the AG. That was a cheap shot, nothing more.

 

[Art Eatman]

I really hate to stick a pin in anybody's Bubble of Righteous Indignation, but some variation on this theme has been going on at least since I joined the camera club in Junior High School. That was around 1946.

Art

 

[Telperion]

Sounds like an endorsement of digital photography, or darkroom skill!

<- sold all his film gear, but sometimes misses the look of T-Max 400.

 

[Blue Line]

Hawkmoon, sorry but the US Attorneys office makes those decisons not the agents on who gets prosecuted.

 

[gunsmith]

hahah luch ...good one

"The Secret Service took my homework!"
__________________

 

[ravinraven]

I was wondering why I have no exit strategy...

..for anything. Now I know.

"How can he have an exit strategy for Iraq when he can't walk out a door in China." I once came to a locked door somewhere in Texas years ago. That's why I have no exit strategy for anything. Thanx for the insight.

rr

 

[Janitor]

..for anything. Now I know.

"How can he have an exit strategy for Iraq when he can't walk out a door in China." I once came to a locked door somewhere in Texas years ago. That's why I have no exit strategy for anything. Thanx for the insight.

rr

 

[Molon Labe]

But over at the Kitty Hawk Wal-Mart, where the student took his film to be developed...

He should have used a digital camera.

 

[mfree]

Never have any photos you wouldn't show to a stranger developed at a large commercial lab.

 

[GRB]

Aah the story about the Walmart employees calling this in is music to my ears. It is a good thing that people, regular folks, are on their toes watching (perpetual vigilance is the price of freedom) out for psychos. Sure it is the kid's right to voice his opinion - even photgraphicaly in the form of a montage but, it is also the government's right to protect the nation, itself and, the president. Isn't it about time that someone out there actually took some of this ???? in our schools seriously! If the kid had did that with a picture of the supreme being, then at least half of you who fault Walmart of the Secret Service would be hollering bloody murder about the left's disrespect for religion and saying the schools and the kid should not have been allowed to do such. It is much the same in analogy. By the way, while the kid has a right to exprese himself, so too does the Walmart employee have the right to bring the picture to the attention of his superiors, and they have the right to call the secret service. There was no violation of anyone's rights here, none at all if what was posted in that story was correct.

 

[jsalcedo]

It is a good thing that people, regular folks, are on their toes watching (perpetual vigilance is the price of freedom) out for psychos.

If the same Walmart employee developed a roll of film showing Bin Laden and Zarkowi playing naked twister on the White house lawn it would have gone
totally unnoticed and unreported.

 

[SeanSw]

I was a walmart photo lab technician for a few years while going to community college. I could begin by telling you how my management was almost entirely absent, or how many times they violated my rights as an employee, and even how they refused to give me my last paycheck after turning in my 2 weeks notice...... but instead I'll let you guys know how I responded to situations like this.

On the back of the photo return envelopes is a small legalese disclaimer. Walmart requires us to withhold ANY photos showing nudity. If a frame with nudity showed up we skipped it, and it was not developed or charged for. For all instances of "questionable" acts, such as child abuse or acts of violence, we had to report them to our store manager - who then phoned in the police. The police would contact me at work (once at home) and ask for any details regarding the situation, such as if we would recognize the person who dropped off the film or if we would recognize anyone else within the photos. On one occasion I had to sit in a room with an officer for nearly 2 hours while he showed me photos and scrutinized over them, so we could determine who may be the one who dropped them off, and who we have to report when they return for their photos.

Then, when the owner came to pick up the package, we had to call 911. On the one occasion where things went this far (and the police had teenage kids controlling a sting operation inside walmart) one of my coworkers, a young woman, was forced to stall the customer until the authorities could arrive and take her in for questioning. The reason for all this fuss was a series of nude child pictures. Nothing too questionable in my eyes, just a naked child, about 3 years old, in his bedroom.

When developing film I tried not to give people a hard time. I used my judgement to determine what was appropriate, and my judgement was fairly liberal. It wasn't my job to police the nation from inside walmart and I wouldn't report suspected illegal activities or nudity unless it was extreme. I can't tell you how many stupid photos I glossed over and returned to the customers when I wasn't supposed to. Kids drinking, smoking weed, or their girfriends flashing tits, and the occasional couple photographing themselves in lewd acts.

Sorry walmart. You didn't pay me enough to be narc. Heck, they didn't pay me enough to develop film. In fact, they never paid me. They still owe me my final paycheck and the benefits I turned in.

I'm looking back, and I can remember a coworker who was just the type to turn a kid in for photographing the president with a pushpin in his head. She's the same type who would have reported me for talking on a gun forum, too.

 

[lance22]

This really bothers me

Please Help me. Last week I took some shots of my teenager while he was shooting my M4. I like to take photographs while I'm hunting and sometimes when I target shoot - never thought twice about this practice. This roll has not been developed yet and we usually get film developed at WalMart.

Where should I get the film developed, if at all? I don't want the CIA or Child Protection Services to storm my house.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Art Eatman]

Lance, is there any place where you can be face to face with the people doing the developing/printing? If so, were I taking the film in, I'd grin and start yakking about taking my kid shooting.

Get them bored.

Or put a note in the envelope with the film: "Be careful with the pictures of my kid, shooting. He's real proud of it!"

When you start the deal, you have the edge.

Hey, it's no different than my deal in going through the Border Patrol checkpoint when I go up to Alpine. Before the guy can go into his "Are you a US citizen?" routine, I start first with, "Hey, how ya doin''? You enjoyin' the outdoor job?" and other trivial BS. They generally forget to ask if I'm a citizen, not that my accent doesn't tell'em all they need to know.

, Art

 

[Deavis]

It is against the law to make threats against the President and it is the Secret Service's job to investigate

Can you point me towards the threat against the president that was made by the student? Is implying he is a "tack-head" a threat these days?

I don't think this is a good example of zero tolerance because someone used discretion and the kid didn't go to jail and he wasn't expelled for making terrorist threats

If making a poster with a thumbs down is a terroristic threat, then what isn't?

Hmm, sounds to me like it was investigated properly, found not to be a threat to the life of the president, and dropped. Kudos to all involved.

I think they "do-gooder" at the Walmart should be forced to pay for the incident because he/she was too dense to recognize the difference between political dissent and terroristic threats. Waste of time and resources.