Oklahoma Working to Pass Bills Making It Illegal to Publish Photo of law enforcement

Klaw.com ^ | 25 February 2021 | Critter

[BackRoads775]

Oklahoma legislators are working to pass another bill, HB 2273. It's a companion bill to SB 6 which is working it's way through the state senate. Both bills would make it illegal to photograph or video law enforcement and publish it on an online site, forum or social media platform. There's been a lot of confusion and concern with the two bills as you can imagine. So what exactly will the new law do and what are the penalties for violating the law? Also, if this does become law when will it take effect?

[cuban leaf]

Google glass, fake facebook account, and VPN.

[mythenjoseph]

Secret Police?....

[pepsi_junkie]

I support the police. I also support openness and accountability, the sort of openness and accountability our top federal law enforcement has shown is non-existent in their corrupt agencies. I do not support extending that lack of openness and accountability to the local and state levels.

Cops are not our overlords. Be prepared to be photographed in public just like everyone else. Follow the law and your training and it will all work out fine.

[escapefromboston]

Shouldn’t it be illegal to photograph anyone and post it online ?

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Shouldn’t it be illegal to photograph anyone and post it online ?

Especially in the case of police officers interacting with the public, absolutely not. We shouldn't have a secret police in the US.

[Vendome]

Not a good law

[Regulator]

So it’ll be illegal to be a witness to a crime?

[Abathar]

Just another step away from open accountability. Kind of like how the cops started blaring Beatles music during their stops if they think their getting filmed, that way its yanked by Youtube for copy-write infringement.

[Gay State Conservative]

I’m not sure that I could support that.

[null and void]

Not Sees controlling what you can Not See...

[Lurkinanloomin]

This may have been well intentioned, but the practical outcome is that it will be used to shield bad cops.

[soupbone1]

Would like to know how they expect this to supercede established court rulings on this topic. Turner v. Driver, Glik v. Cunniffe, Smith v. City of Cumming, and Fordyce v. City of Seattle.

[minnesota_bound]

make it illegal to photograph or video law enforcement?
Are they special?

I was recording a traffic accident where the women driver spun out making a right turn and knocked down a street light. She was not hurt. She tried to leave the scene and gunned the engine but was going nowhere. I recorded this. The 2 police officers that showed up were more concerned about me filming then the accident.

[gunnut]

The courts generally have ruled photographing and recording law enforcement is perfectly legal. What a waste of time.

[Reno89519]

If in public anyone is fair game for photographs—Sunshine is good to prevent abuse. And in private, I will record as well for the same reasons. Laws like the proposed one only allows government misconduct to go unproven and unchecked.

[Alas Babylon!]

Everyone seems to be against this law and I agree, but...

Oklahoma can argue that the courts ruled that way because there was no law... Now there is. It has been legislated as illegal.

Just like election laws.... Once a law is passed, courts force them to be applied, right? ;->

In any case, as soon as it passes, I predict the cops will arrest anyone videoing them and give a lot of wood shampoos to those conservatives who resist. Antifa and BLM will be exempt.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

This seems to be a reaction to the group who are trying to make police the enemy. And while I understand their desire to back law enforcement, this is not the way.

[Sequoyah101]

Oklahoma cops, OHP especially, had to be stopped from random search and seizure as well.

I don’t know what rube in the state legislature gets things like this started but it is some kind of red neck conservatism out of control.

People have to be reminded over and over that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[fremont_steve]

The new law is essentially a violation of the first amendment. If you are on a public street whether you are an officer of the law or john q public...you have no expectation of privacy.

Then as others have said. Our police are public officials and they must be transparent.