Associated Press

SEATTLE - A weekly newspaper reporter said he was intimidated and threatened when he stopped to take photos of police officers and a sheriff's sergeant questioning a man on a Seattle street.

It was a relatively minor incident last week but totally unnecessary, said Dominic Holden, who is the news editor at The Stranger. He filed complaints with police and the King County Sheriff's Office, KOMO reported Wednesday.

"This is the type of comparatively low-level interaction that I believe ultimately deteriorates trust in our law enforcement," Holden said.

Taking photos of police activity on public property is legal.

"As long as they are not directly interfering with an investigation, they have a right to stand there and videotape or take photos," said sheriff's office spokeswoman Cindi West.

Sheriff John Urquhart put Sgt. Casey Saulet on leave following the latest incident. Seattle police referred the complaint against Officer John Marion to the Office of Professional Accountability. Acting Chief Jim Pugel said the allegation does not match what the department teaches and he assured Holden they would get to the truth.

Holden said he was just doing his job.