Student newspaper cameras confiscated at mall, later returned

Note From Steve: Shades of my Crabtree Valley situation here

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Police seized cameras from two college newspaper photographers at a suburban Lansing mall Thursday before returning them with the images intact.

The photographers, from the Central Michigan University student newspaper, were taking digital pictures of a protest outside a Victoria's Secret store in the Meridian Mall. Three Central Michigan students were protesting what they said is the lingerie chain's high volume use of paper with little or no recycled content for its mail catalogs.

Security at the Ingham County mall wouldn't let the journalists leave and called Meridian Township police, according to the student newspaper Central Michigan Life. Police told the photographers they could either delete the pictures themselves or the cameras would be taken back to the station.

The photographers refused to delete the pictures, opting to follow police back to the station.

The cameras were returned, with all the images intact, after officers talked to their supervisors. It was determined officers should not have confiscated the cameras, Meridian Township Police Chief David Hall said Friday.

"It was not our best police work," said Hall, adding that an internal investigation will be done to determine what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.

Hall got personally involved at the station Thursday. So did an attorney from the Michigan Press Association, who called police and urged them to return the cameras with the images intact.

CM Life Editor in Chief Chad Livengood said Friday it appears police were initially acting to enforce mall or store rules rather than the law. But the situation appears to be resolved with the Meridian Township police department, he said.

Messages seeking comment were left Friday afternoon with the mall's general manager.