I was stopped by a Prince William police officer after I took this photo

Every photo has a story.

As a reporter for many years, I’ve worked a lot of crash scenes, house fires, and homicide investigations. Never once was I stopped by a police officer and asked for my license and registration.

There’s a first time for everything, they say. Who knew it would be the assignment where I’m taking a photo of a Ferris Wheel?

It was just before 1 p.m. Friday when I was driving along Route 1 and saw a carnival rides erected in a parking lot across from Our Lady Angels church. I pulled into the parking lot to take a photo of the wheel with my camera phone. A police car was sitting in the parking lot.

After pulling in, I stopped my car, rolled down my driver’s side window, stuck my cell phone out the window, and took this photo:

When I had finished, I noticed the officer had rolled down her driver’s side window and was looking at me. I decided I would speak with her, so I rolled forward about a foot and then the officer activated her lights and siren, got out of the car, spoke into her radio to notify her dispatch of a traffic stop, and then she asked to see my license and registration.

I reached over the glove box to get it. I gave it to the officer, as well as my business card, and explained that I am a member of the press and that I took a photo of the Ferris Wheel.

The officer recognized my name and recalled seeing it before when she had previously assisted in the department’s public information office.

She asked me if I was out gathering news that day. “Yes, that’s what they pay me to do,” I responded.

The officer then explained that she felt threatened by me – someone she didn’t know taking a photo so close to her police car.

Those who read this website know that, as the publisher, I do not use this forum as a soapbox to spout off my opinions. I’m not about to start.

I have much respect for police officers in Prince William County, and across the country. I don’t have to tell you it’s been a trying time for officers across the country as of late.

Maybe I should have spoken first to the officer to tell her what I was doing. Maybe I should put press decals on my car so, like her police car, my profession is immediately recognizable to anyone looking.

One thing we won’t do: Stop taking photos in our community. And, while this particular photo did not feature one,  we won’t stop taking photos of police officers doing thier jobs. The work police officers do to serve and protect us is too important not to feature and explain to our readers.

I won’t stop taking photos of Ferris Wheels, either.