Filming the police (at a safe distance) is not a crime

Hot Air.com ^ | January 2, 2016 | JAZZ SHAW

[sagar]

You cannot interfere with the police, unless you want to get shot. If suicide by police is your goal, then — by all means.

[Reno89519]

The police no more ask us for permission with the body, dash, and other cameras than we should be forced to ask for permission. This is all past stupid. Police are public employees, their actions are in public, and we, as citizens, have the right to record their actions whenever we want. Police often have cameras and are recording us. Fair is fair.

I absolutely believe that the sunshine of recording is good for everyone involved. Police that react with intimidation, assault, and arrest should find themselves fired and in jail.

[darkwing104]

Filming the police (at a safe distance) is not a crime

How long will it take before its declared illegal?

[Leaning Right]

I absolutely believe that the sunshine of recording is good for everyone involved.

Bingo. Has the US Supreme Court offered some guidance on what a "safe distance" is? If not, they probably should. I've seen cops yelling threats at video-takers who are standing way down the street from some minor arrest.

[Jayster]

https://photographyisnotacrime.com/

[Blue Collar Christian]

“But at the same time, the sooner we have body cameras and dash cams for all the cops, the sooner we can get that full context out in response to accusations if the cops are doing nothing wrong.”

This will remind cops to keep their noses clean and gives them the footage to refute edited or late to the dance video from the public.

[Political Junkie Too]

When the police want their actions kept secret, we will have a secret police.

Maybe they should all start wearing ski masks so we don't know which of our neighbors is really a secret policeman?

-PJ

[Reno89519]

In my opinion, any distance that the police are allowing people to stand is fair game. The more they react, the more they are very likely guilty of violating procedure, violating people’s rights, and committing crimes against citzenry. I do not care what the protest is, our constitutional rights as citizens outweigh the police preference to abuse and kill citizens in private.

[MrEdd]

They keep trying to make it so, and we have a Bozo on this thread who appears to support that.

[Repeal 16-17]

Police are public employees, their actions are in public, and we, as citizens, have the right to record their actions whenever we want.

Ditto! As long as the videographer is not trying to interfere with the police doing its job, the videoing is protected by the First Amendment. Merely filming the police in public is not interference.

[Oberon]

Public servants performing a public function in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy.

[glasseye]

Police hate for you to video them because they lose control of the narrative.

[Leaning Right]

In my opinion, any distance that the police are allowing people to stand is fair game.

Agreed. The problem is that not when there a group of citizens, but just one or two to bully around. I recall seeing a YouTube video where the cops were arresting someone for jaywalking (really), and the guy's father was trying to video-tape it. The father must have been 50 feet away, but that wasn't good enough for the cops.

The cops kept threatening him with interfering with a police investigation. Eventually the father backed off.

[Wolfie]

Indeed. Look at some of the BS cops have speed in recent cases. And then the video comes out.

[Trailerpark Badass]

There have been a number of the opposite circumstances, as well.

[rockrr]

Making video recordings of police conduct is not interfering.

[centurion316]

People who annoy the police are liable to be shot. And, they should be shot, annoying the police is not allowed. Who are these stupid people who think that the police do not have complete control of what they do? You will obey and submit, or die.

[Still Thinking]

SCOTUS says we have no expectation of privacy in public. Obviously, that would apply even more strongly to someone whose salary is derived from taxes.

[spetznaz]

Exactly Centurion, don't people realize the police are above question! How dare people attempt to record our Lords, the police. That is interference (not to mention annoyingly rude), and the police have every right to defend themselves from those attempting to record them (or those attempting to annoy them). In fact, it may be tantamount to suicide by cop. If only people could realize that the police should never be annoyed, and things would be so good if people would only be good subjects - I mean, good citizens - and submit. As long as people obey and submit the police will not have to shoot them dead.