Narrative:

Departed gate area to board aircraft at approximately PM35Z. While walking down jetway, approximately 3/4 way to aircraft door L1, I witnessed the inbound captain walking with a white male approximately 6 ft tall carrying what appeared to be a large video camera. Comments made by the inbound captain to the male with the video camera were to the effect (you may not take pictures of any crew members). I continued to the aircraft to stow my bags and determined that I needed to return to the gate area to retrieve additional paperwork. On my way to the gate, I encountered the subject with the video camera, walking up the jetway in the direction of the gate. I could not determine the operational status of the camera (filming or not). I gathered this subject was on his way to the gate as well. When I returned to the aircraft, I found the subject in the last 10 ft of the jetway making a turn onto the aircraft, holding the camera very low to the floor. He made the turn into the aircraft and started walking to the aft of the aircraft. I asked the flight attendants who this subject was. One flight attendant indicated that he was filming for television. I immediately instructed the first officer to notify ramp tower of our status and to demand security and management dispatched to the aircraft. I encountered the subject and advised him to stop filming. I instructed him to leave the aircraft, as I did not know what his mission was. I escorted him into the jetway, where I called the gate to advise what the subject's behavior was and to request his apprehension. The dtw metropolitan wayne county police arrived to question the crew at approximately the same time manager customer service dtw arrived. We exchanged the chronology of events as they related to our aircraft. Management indicated that this camera man had been accompanied by an air carrier media representative but for some reason not known, the camera man was left alone. Manager indicated that the issue was with dtw station, and that we had followed security procedures correctly. My only option as the in-flight (in this case, on ground) security representative, was to terminate the behavior of the subject, escort him off the aircraft, and advise security, etc.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A TELEVISION CAMERA MAN IS CAUGHT RUNNING A VIDEO CAMERA ON BOARD A PARKED, PREBOARD B727 BY THE OUTGOING CAPT.

Narrative: DEPARTED GATE AREA TO BOARD ACFT AT APPROX PM35Z. WHILE WALKING DOWN JETWAY, APPROX 3/4 WAY TO ACFT DOOR L1, I WITNESSED THE INBOUND CAPT WALKING WITH A WHITE MALE APPROX 6 FT TALL CARRYING WHAT APPEARED TO BE A LARGE VIDEO CAMERA. COMMENTS MADE BY THE INBOUND CAPT TO THE MALE WITH THE VIDEO CAMERA WERE TO THE EFFECT (YOU MAY NOT TAKE PICTURES OF ANY CREW MEMBERS). I CONTINUED TO THE ACFT TO STOW MY BAGS AND DETERMINED THAT I NEEDED TO RETURN TO THE GATE AREA TO RETRIEVE ADDITIONAL PAPERWORK. ON MY WAY TO THE GATE, I ENCOUNTERED THE SUBJECT WITH THE VIDEO CAMERA, WALKING UP THE JETWAY IN THE DIRECTION OF THE GATE. I COULD NOT DETERMINE THE OPERATIONAL STATUS OF THE CAMERA (FILMING OR NOT). I GATHERED THIS SUBJECT WAS ON HIS WAY TO THE GATE AS WELL. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE ACFT, I FOUND THE SUBJECT IN THE LAST 10 FT OF THE JETWAY MAKING A TURN ONTO THE ACFT, HOLDING THE CAMERA VERY LOW TO THE FLOOR. HE MADE THE TURN INTO THE ACFT AND STARTED WALKING TO THE AFT OF THE ACFT. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANTS WHO THIS SUBJECT WAS. ONE FLT ATTENDANT INDICATED THAT HE WAS FILMING FOR TELEVISION. I IMMEDIATELY INSTRUCTED THE FO TO NOTIFY RAMP TWR OF OUR STATUS AND TO DEMAND SECURITY AND MGMNT DISPATCHED TO THE ACFT. I ENCOUNTERED THE SUBJECT AND ADVISED HIM TO STOP FILMING. I INSTRUCTED HIM TO LEAVE THE ACFT, AS I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HIS MISSION WAS. I ESCORTED HIM INTO THE JETWAY, WHERE I CALLED THE GATE TO ADVISE WHAT THE SUBJECT'S BEHAVIOR WAS AND TO REQUEST HIS APPREHENSION. THE DTW METRO WAYNE COUNTY POLICE ARRIVED TO QUESTION THE CREW AT APPROX THE SAME TIME MGR CUSTOMER SVC DTW ARRIVED. WE EXCHANGED THE CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS AS THEY RELATED TO OUR ACFT. MGMNT INDICATED THAT THIS CAMERA MAN HAD BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY AN ACR MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE BUT FOR SOME REASON NOT KNOWN, THE CAMERA MAN WAS LEFT ALONE. MGR INDICATED THAT THE ISSUE WAS WITH DTW STATION, AND THAT WE HAD FOLLOWED SECURITY PROCS CORRECTLY. MY ONLY OPTION AS THE INFLT (IN THIS CASE, ON GND) SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE, WAS TO TERMINATE THE BEHAVIOR OF THE SUBJECT, ESCORT HIM OFF THE ACFT, AND ADVISE SECURITY, ETC.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.