The mounds - 3/5

I was kind of surprised to read about school safety being there on a Saturday. School safety generally only work during school or school event hours when a facility is open. As an aside I know they are Peace Officers as defined by the NYS Crimminal Procedure Law, but I wonder what their powers of arrest are and I am sure they are limited to "persuant to their special duties."

Nassau PD recently moved to their new communications center in New Cassel and are slowly making the transition to digital encryption. Until everything is changed over they are simulcasting on the old system.

I was even harrassed by Parks Dept. workers at Coney Island Pier for taking photos there. He claimed that I needed a permit and threatened to confiscate my camera. I wrote a nice letter to the Parks Dept. Commissioner and got a nice letter apologizing and saying I could take photos. After that, I was no longer harrassed. Plane spotting is another matter. Since 9-11, we look suspicious when we stay in 1 location for more than just a few minutes so they tell us to leave. I gave up spotting for that reason. Too much aggravation worrying about getting harrassed. In the "golden age of spotting" in the 80's and 90's I perched on the hill by Rockaway Blvd for 8 hours, took hundreds of photos and the only annoyance were the mosquitoes and finding a taxi since I had no car. These are the memories they can't take away from me. Sad to hear that new spotters cannot enjoy the hobby.

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Originally Posted by Speedbird1

I was even harrassed by Parks Dept. workers at Coney Island Pier for taking photos there. He claimed that I needed a permit and threatened to confiscate my camera. I wrote a nice letter to the Parks Dept. Commissioner and got a nice letter apologizing and saying I could take photos. After that, I was no longer harrassed. Plane spotting is another matter. Since 9-11, we look suspicious when we stay in 1 location for more than just a few minutes so they tell us to leave. I gave up spotting for that reason. Too much aggravation worrying about getting harrassed. In the "golden age of spotting" in the 80's and 90's I perched on the hill by Rockaway Blvd for 8 hours, took hundreds of photos and the only annoyance were the mosquitoes and finding a taxi since I had no car. These are the memories they can't take away from me. Sad to hear that new spotters cannot enjoy the hobby.

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That parks dept trick was tried at Bayswater too. It's old. Again the situation at the mounds is new and unique because so many spotters have used it in winter and morning hours which nobody has never really done. The School took notice and a couple of officers have decided to take the path of least resistence instead of checking ID and finding out what is going on. Hopefully this will subside once the prime shooting months and late day hours come since the school will not be in session. At some point someone will have to stand their ground which has even happened in the summer when civilians with the soccer group have questioned (sometimes forcefully) spotters on the mounds. Unfortunately it's a nuisance that may never totally subside as a result of those planes hitting the WTC.

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Originally Posted by Phil D.

That's pretty lame, but you avoided confrontation at least. School Safety cops on a serious power trip....lame. That is NOT school property.

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Thats for sure, as an example last summer I had the pleasure of having one tailgating me as apparently the morning rush hour traffic wasnt moving fast enough. He apparently thought his siren was going to make me and the traffic move faster, when it didn't he managed to pulled up next to me to yell... very lame