Which is Worse: Lying to the Press, or Spying on Law Abiding Citizens?

A strange and disturbing report from the City by the Bay:

Park Officer Posed as Another, Lied to Press

A U.S. Park Police officer is facing disciplinary action after lying to The Chronicle and the New York Times by identifying himself as a former officer and in an unseemly manner, according to the San Francisco field office commander for the U.S. Park Police.

The officer, Ken Rawles, was assigned to work undercover to take photographs and video of officers and their interactions with gun activists during a Baker Beach event at which activists sought to carry visible, unloaded handguns on the beach, said Major Jason Wu.

But, dressed in plain clothes, Rawles told reporters covering the event that he was Brad Lawrence. Lawrence is the name of a former U.S. Park Police officer who now works for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Georgia. Rawles told reporters he was at the beach to video people sunbathing in the nude, but finding none began to photograph and video the gun activists.

His statements appeared in a Chronicle story Sunday and in a New York Times blog about the event. Colleagues of Lawrence contacted the Chronicle upset at the portrayal.

"What Officer Rawles did is not something that we would do," said Wu. "Certainly, I am not too pleased about that myself."

Wu said Rawles' video and photographs were intended to be used later for training purposes, as people are now allowed to bring licensed and unloaded handguns into national parks, such as the Presidio, where Baker Beach is located.

"What we're looking to make sure is that the interaction between the officer and the citizens are appropriate - which can work both ways, as you know," Wu said. "We do respect people's constitutional rights, but we do have to make sure for public safety to make sure the weapons are not violating state laws."

Wu said that Rawles would face internal discipline, but declined to state what that would be.

"He was there with pretty clear instruction and that was to capture on video and camera the interactions, and nothing more," Wu said.

Disturbing, because he is going "undercover," which didn't seem very clear as he was to take video and photographs of "officers interacting" with gun activists? Sounds like a flimsy thread for building a visual file of future "suspects" though no one was doing anything illegally.

"We do respect people's constitutional rights, but we do have to make sure for public safety to make sure the weapons are not violating state laws." I believe that a U.S. Park officer who is more concerned for enforcing "state laws" on federal land than he is defending the Constitutional rights of individuals is deserving of termination from his post.

He doesn't get it, and the "superiors" who assigned him this task also don't get it. Lying about your identity to reporters isn't a crime but it is certainly not the brightest move a man could make.

I think the public deserves to know the extent of the "internal discipline" that is taken.

It's driving these anti-gun Liberals and Progressives crazy that affection for the Second Amendment seems to be growing stronger in the 21st Century. It drives the press crazy that someone would actually lie about their identity. From the tone of this story you get the impression that the writer thought the deception was the only real offense.

Identity theft -- even if it's only temporary and not for profit -- is certainly not something to be taken lightly, but it hardly holds a candle to violating the constitutional rights of individual citizens.