Back Off!
Fire scene turns into a scuffle

Gallup Police Officer Cindy Romancito puts up her hand to obstruct Independent staff photographer Jeffery Jones from photographing a fire at the northside Burger King Saturday afternoon. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

Galup Police officer Cindy Romancito tries repeatedly to stop Gallup Independent photojournalist Jeffery Jones from making images at the scene of a fire Saturday afternoon on U.S. 491 in Gallup. When Romancito instructed Jones to back up he asked her repeatedly to tell him where the perimeter was that he could make images from, and after refusing to answer his question she then began to physically push him backward, block his camera and even tried several times to grab hold of the camera without giving any reason other than citing "public safety." Jones did back away from the scene, only to later see that police tape was strung up closer to the building than he was standing for most of the confrontation. The Gallup Police Department treats all fire scenes as crime scenes, although there was no indication of any wrong doing. [Photo by Jeffery Jones/Independent]

GALLUP — What started out as a kitchen fire at the northside Burger King Saturday afternoon soon turned into a scuffle between a police officer and a Gallup Independent photographer.

Photographer Jeff Jones said he arrived at the scene at approximately 1:45 p.m. and began taking pictures when Gallup Police Officer Cindy Romancito approached and asked him to move back. Jones, seeing no police tape set up yet, asked her repeatedly where the perimeter was. According to Jones, Romancito would only say that he needed to "move back."

Jones said he complied and that Romancito kept following him. When he raised his camera to take her picture, Jones said, Romancito grabbed the camera in an effort to prevent him from shooting, then proceeded to push him.

When Romancito and other officers eventually established a perimeter, Jones said, the tape was between them and the building, at least 20 feet in front of the spot where Romancito finally left off harassing him.

John Bowersmith, another Independent photographer who witnessed the scuffle, concurred with Jones' general version of events.

When officers are in the process of setting up a perimeter, Gallup Police Chief Sylvester Stanley said, they have a responsibility to move people out of the area they intend to close off. Before the tape is up, he said, they should explain precisely where the perimeter is verbally.

Stanley said he had not yet been briefed on the incident when The Independent called Monday morning, but added that the officer's instructions to "move back," if that was in fact all she said, were not enough.

"The officer should have explained to him that they were in the process of establishing a perimeter," Stanley said, and explained where that perimeter would be.

Stanley also said the officer, by Jones' account, probably went too far.

"She shouldn't have been grabbing his camera ... or pushing him back," he said, not unless she was in the process of arresting him, which did not appear to be the case.

Jones was not arrested.

Stanley said he would be faxing Jones a department complaint form.

Independent managing editor Darrel Beehner said he was pleased Stanley was willing to take a complaint on the matter, but added that was not the first time such an incident occured.

"This follows a pattern of heavyhanded police procedures our photographers and reporters have had to deal with when it comes to covering crime scenes and fires," he said. "The Independent has made the chief aware of the situation in the past. Hopefully, this will help create a change in policy."

The extent of the damage from the kitchen fire is unknown.