Adam Weiss reports one of those black-suited special-forces T cops told him to stop taking pictures at the Government Center T stop this afternoon because, apparently, nobody's ever told him about the MBTA's official photography policy - which says picture taking is allowed on T property (just without a flash or tripod). Weiss says:

At least he was nice about it this time. He apologized, saying he didn't know the rules. Let me go on my way. Nothing against the cop, just the T for not informing him.

Owen Byrne reports what happened after he took this photo at the Newton Highlands stop on the Riverside line last night:

Eric Kilby reports:

I was given a hard time last night by an inspector at the Haymarket bus platform, as I was trying to get a shot of the Government Center garage. The light was interesting. He said that he was instructed to tell people to get a permit or go away. I told him that there was a memo, but I didn't have a copy, and he said he hadn't heard of it. I thanked him for looking out for our safety and left, because it really wasn't worth the trouble to argue. He said it would be ok if I took like 5 steps back so I was on the public sidewalk and not the MBTA sidewalk (the texture was different), which seems kind of odd.

This comes a couple days after another T worker harassed some poor tourist for daring to take a photo inside Back Bay station.

If the T has suddenly changed its photo policy, you'd think they'd update the online version, no? Oh, wait, this is an agency that's only now updating 40-year-old maps ...

Ben Ostrander tweets that around 7:40 this morning:

Saw a tourist with a crappy point & shoot stopped by T employee at Back Bay & told she couldn't do that.

As Ostrander notes, that fall under the category of "Not True." The MBTA's posted photo policy says non-commercial photography is OK - the main limitations are you can't use a flash or tripod and you have to provide ID if requested by a T cop or official.

So this guy who's really fascinated with buses thought it would be cool to follow an old T bus to the end of the line - to the plant in Everett where they're shredded and put on a barge on the Mystic River. He missed the No Trespassing sign:

... "Yeah Sarge,he is a busnut...I looked at the photos on his camera,nothing but buses"

He said also "Don't be surprised if the Department of Home land Security checks you out" ...

Mike reports on a little run-in with a couple of guys in an MBTA SUV outside a South Boston bus depot:

Recently I was in South Boston to take pictures of the Macallen condo building. Directly across the street is (what I think is) an MBTA bus depot, and I took a few photos in that direction to capture a rainbow that appeared after the rain. As I was leaving, an MBTA SUV pulled up with two people inside and asked me what newspaper I work for. I said the photos are for a photography class I'm taking. They responded quickly something about warning me that I wasn't allowed to take photos on or of MBTA property and drove off. ...

Earlier:
Further proof the MBTA's photo policy not worth the paper it's printed on (incident at South Station).

I'd point to the MBTA's own photo policy, but the MBTA Police Web site is now the Kenmore busway of Web sites: Yes, it's under construction (because apparently whoever's re-doing the site has never heard of using an internal test server while keeping the existing live site up instead of just displaying a large graphic of a guy shoveling manure). So here is a copy of a draft of the policy, which I recall was basically the same.

Kevin Church reports men in uniforms demanded he put away his camera at South Station today:

I'm fairly sure this is an nudging of my rights, but since I never bothered to read up on these things, I'm just going to nod and smile and thank god the government is looking out for fat guys with wide-angle lenses. ...

Alleged MBTA photo policy, which supposedly allows non-commercial photography in public areas.

Earlier:
MBCR conductor disregards personal safety, goes after dangerous photographer on his train.

Heard this morning that the MBTA will no longer require permits for those who wish to take photos on their property.

A few things to remember:

• This policy does not apply to video/film recording, or commercial photography - which still requires a special permit.
• You need to carry a valid Photo ID with you at all times and present it upon request.
• Flash photography is still prohibited
• The use of floodlights is still prohibited
• The use of tripods is still prohibited
• Trespassing into restricted areas to take photos is still a really bad idea that will get you arrested (if you don't get yourself killed, first)

The news is going to take some time to filter down to every MBTA employee, so you might want to put off your photo taking for a few days until the word gets out to avoid any unneeded hassles.

The ACLU threatens to sue the T over its photography policy - which basically says you can't - unless you've gotten a permit.

About time somebody stood up to the T bullies, who are more concerned about potentially embarassing photos exemplifying bad service than stopping potential terrorists, BadTransit writes:

... The T, or anyone else, has no right to confiscate your photographic equipment, film, memory card, etc., without a legal process. It's amazing that people aren't certain about this. ...

Bah, retorts Hub Politics, wondering when people will recognize the ACLU for the traitors they are:

... This threat by the ACLU is absolutely ridiculous, and is yet another example of how twisted the ACLU is. They want wiretapping of terrorists to stop, arguing it is a violation of privacy rights, and now, they are taking a position that arguably puts privacy (and security) at risk. Seems to me that the only constant objective they have is to undermine our security. ...