Cops routinely confiscate recording equipment from people taping them because they don't like seeing themselves on youtube swearing and making rude gestures, acting like the Keystone cops or asserting the authority to do things that a look through the statute books would show that they lack. That's very different from trying to hide a criminal homicide.
There was a homicide in this case.
And it appears to have been criminal.
Shocking. Dishonorable people don’t like videographic evidence of dishonorable behavior.
Thugs destroy evidence.
Peace officers (such as LawDog) call out thugs on such behavior.
http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/2012/01/mediations-on-cameras.html
I might be going a bit out on a limb here, but I think criminal homicide might be the kind of thing a look through the statute books would show they lacked authority to do. IOW, it's not different at all. I think everybody who's likely to video cops in action should have a cloud-streaming app running at all times. Assume that, given an opportunity, cops will take your phone and destroy the evidence first chance they get.
Cloud streaming will be your only defense because you can count on the LEO lying about the circumstances of how he came into possession of damaged evidence.
But apart from the beating, that's what this story is about. Cops don't have the right to confiscate people's phones. You have the right to film police doing their jobs in public spaces.