Reprter Detained and Hundcuffed by Teaparty Joe Miller's Security Guard

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Give us a relatively unbiased source so we can learn the facts. HuffPo is just a propaganda organ.
 
Canadian Press:
A security guard said he placed a reporter under citizen’s arrest at a campaign event for Alaska Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller after the journalist refused orders to leave and pushed someone into a locker.

Alaska Dispatch newspaper editor Tony Hopfinger rushed up to and “kind of brushed up against” Miller, and refused repeated requests to leave after being told it was a private event, said Bill Fulton, the Dropzone Security agent involved in Sunday’s scuffle at an Anchorage school.

Hopfinger told Anchorage television station KTUU that security pushed him as he tried to question Miller and he pushed back
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google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jHKgN5F1ePz6hOtKhD3PckT3tdzg?docId=4874349
 
I wonder why the guy thinks just because it was a public school he had a “right” to be there? Show up at a public school and start badgering a teacher or principal and see how long it takes to be detained or escorted off the property. He admits he was told it was a private event and refused to leave - does he want charges and a night in jail?
 
agnes_therese said:
Well, so is Fox News, but I’ll bet you’ll take that one:
chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ktuu-2010elect-miller-security-hopfinger-arrest-101710,0,6211920.story
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The Chicago Tribune is not Fox News. Nevertheless here’s from the Tribune article.

“The Dispatch reporter repeatedly pushed a camera into the face of Mr. Miller,” Fulton said. “He continued to aggressively pursue him. I told the reporter several times that he needed to stop and that he was trespassing, he ignored me. He then proceeded to stalk Mr. Miller and even shoved an individual into a locker. Based upon this trespass and his assault, we detained him and escorted him from the premises.”

In a subsequent interview, Fulton said he didn’t know at the scene that Hopfinger was a journalist.

“I didn’t even know he was a reporter until he told me,” Fulton said. “Normally we would assume that he’s just some crazy guy from the audience.”

If true, the man deserved to be arrested.
 
Ridgerunner said:
In a subsequent interview, Fulton said he didn’t know at the scene that Hopfinger was a journalist.

“I didn’t even know he was a reporter until he told me,” Fulton said. “Normally we would assume that he’s just some crazy guy from the audience.”

.
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Being a crazy journalist from the audience excuses his actions?

Since I have a blog does that make me journalist too?
 
SamH said:
Being a crazy journalist from the audience excuses his actions?

Since I have a blog does that make me journalist too?
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Absolutely.

So, you can be just as big a horse’s tail as you want to be and the rest of the media will defend you. No, the rest will praise you.
 
I don’t know enough about the reporter’s behavior to know whether what happened was warranted, I did see Joe Miller on CNN last night. All I can say is: what a sleazy candidate. Just answer the stupid question: yes or no. It was clear by his answers that he was dodging something.
 
This reporter was never arrested, he was handcuffed to a chair by a member of Miller’s private security force. Do the members of this private security force have the authority to arrest anybody? If so why did they handcuff him to a chair, instead of escorting him a police station for booking?

Instead, he was handcuffed to a chair for approximately 25 minutes and when a police officer arrived (one with real authority to arrest people) he told this private security guys to uncuff him and let him go.

If I were this journalist I’d be looking into unlawful restraint and imprisonment charges against these security force guys along with possibly the campaign that employed them. No matter how much you disagree with somebody you can’t handcuff them to a chair.

ChadS
 
ChadS said:
If I were this journalist I’d be looking into unlawful restraint and imprisonment charges against these security force guys along with possibly the campaign that employed them. No matter how much you disagree with somebody you can’t handcuff them to a chair.

ChadS
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Licensed private security can detain an individual, happens all the time in stores, malls and clubs. If he thinks he was illegally detained he can file charges at any time - as you notice he hasn’t.
 
ChadS said:
This reporter was never arrested, he was handcuffed to a chair by a member of Miller’s private security force. Do the members of this private security force have the authority to arrest anybody? If so why did they handcuff him to a chair, instead of escorting him a police station for booking?

Instead, he was handcuffed to a chair for approximately 25 minutes and when a police officer arrived (one with real authority to arrest people) he told this private security guys to uncuff him and let him go.

If I were this journalist I’d be looking into unlawful restraint and imprisonment charges against these security force guys along with possibly the campaign that employed them. No matter how much you disagree with somebody you can’t handcuff them to a chair.

ChadS
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In many states licensed private security have the exact same powers of arrest as law enforcement.
 
SamH said:
I wonder why the guy thinks just because it was a public school he had a “right” to be there? Show up at a public school and start badgering a teacher or principal and see how long it takes to be detained or escorted off the property. He admits he was told it was a private event and refused to leave - does he want charges and a night in jail?
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He was a reporter covering the event. He wanted to ask one more question…which reporters always try to do. He was told it was private as he was being detained.
 
CMatt25 said:
A Fortiori, remember this is the same guy who said unemployment benefits were unconstitutional after his wife received unemployment benefits. But perhaps you need to be in what Ed Schultz calls the “Miller militia” to receive your full rights. 🤷
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I guess so. Why wasn’t the Bush Freedom of speech area ever covered? It seems to me they were two blocks away and behind a large building? The UCLU had about 90 cases involving freedom of speech the last I heard…and that was years ago.
 
SamH said:
Even if that were true, he was still crashing a private event. I don’t have to inform a burglar he’s on private property before I deal with him.
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So you’re equating a reporter with Constitutional protections on public property with a burglar?

One, this wasn’t Joe Miller’s home or even a private residence. Two, some of these security guards were active military and NOT LICENSED in the state of Alaska, which gives them no right whatsoever to detain people. The state is now investigating the firm for its actions.
 
poker10 said:
So you’re equating a reporter with Constitutional protections on public property with a burglar?

One, this wasn’t Joe Miller’s home or even a private residence. Two, some of these security guards were active military and NOT LICENSED in the state of Alaska, which gives them no right whatsoever to detain people. The state is now investigating the firm for its actions.
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The owner of the firm is is said to be the leader of a militia group. You are right about the company not being licensed. They state the gathering was private but it was advertised as a town hall meeting, at a public school. How private is that?
 
While I’m not American, I have worked both in Security, and as a reporter.

As a reporter you’re job is to get the story, the only thing to avoid is stepping on toes of those who might be future contacts, all else is fair game.

I’m unaware of any place in which security officers have the same rights as law enforcement, but as the story says it was a Citizens arrest. These exist in most juristictions, if not all, and allow common citizens to arrest those who have broken certain laws. Protocol requires the police be called immediatly, who will then pick the subject up at leisure.

The fact that the officer told the guy to let him go doesn’t mean anything against the Security guard. That’s common for tresspass. The purpose of doing the arrest is to get an official police record of this.

However the issue that might arrise is if the reporter does sue, the security guard needs to prove he was tresspassing. This is easy on a second offense, when you have paperwork, but quite difficult on a first offense, unless the guy was dumb enough to admit he was told to leave, then he has no recourse.

Basically the whole purpose of arresting someone for tresspassing is to inconvenience them. It is a minor crime with almost no penalties in and of itself.
 
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