Posted on 02/27/2014 6:47:27 AM PST by servo1969
A chilling video of Maryland police silencing an innocent student who was recording the arrests of two other people has civil libertarians outraged.
The arrests were made at night on the streets of Towson, Maryland. A University of Maryland-Baltimore County student who witnessed the arrests decided to record them using his cell phone. The student, 21-year-old Sergio Gutierrez, was soon approached by officers who objected — wrongly — to his actions.
Gutierrez repeatedly told the officers that he knew he had the right to film them, but the cops were prepared to use any excuse to shut him down. First they told him that he was hampering their investigation, even though he was standing well enough away while the arrests were being made.
Still, the student maintained that he was in the right.
“I am allowed to film,” said Gutierrez.
The cops told him that he was diverting their attention and that he had to leave. When Gutierrez persisted, they told him that he would be arrested if he did not stop recording.
“I thought I had freedom of speech here,” he said.
The cop’s answer? “You don’t. You just lost it. Walk away and keep your mouth shut.”
Police shoved Gutierrez, told him to “shut your f---ing mouth,” and eventually forced him to leave the area.
Many of the people who watched the video were disturbed by the officers’ behavior. So too was the Baltimore County police department, which has launched an investigation, according to WBALTV-11.
Gutierrez told local news that he was glad he recorded the incident. Police may have acted even worse if they knew the camera was off, he said.
[video]
This does not bode well.
“The fish rots from the head”. Obama pays no attention to laws, so why would anyone else?
Police are out of control. They are just mad that they can’t beat the crap out of someone anymore because of cameras. This guy needs to be fired immediately.
This has been the case in these parts of south Kalifornia for at least forty years.
Actually the more and more I hear of these kinds of incidents, the more and more I am lead to believe we’ve always had police brutality/abuse. It is just with modern technology they are getting caught more violating citizens rights.
On one hand, though, police are allowed to lawfully order people out of an area for legit reasons. If you don't move, the level of force escalates. Yeah, this cop is an idiot, but let's not make this into the Ukraine.
That's a brilliant observation, and allow me to expand on it under the meme of everything is bass ackwards: Democrats are at war with conservatives and think our sworn enemies abroad are no problem. The GOPe is at war with the Tea Party and thinks the Democrats are no problem. Bureaucrats now make more money than entrepreneurs who take all the risk and who pay the very bureaucrats who destroy them. I could go on and on (and I do in my books) - but we're in bass ackward times.
You win the cigar.
Fired? What about charged with official oppression, and denial of civil rights under color of authority? Possession of a firearm while committing a felony? There’s much more than this officer’s job at stake here.
This is what scares me when I see police departments advertising for recruits as shockingly low salaries.
When you go dumpster-diving like that you are bound to hire low quality, maladjusted people.
Don’t worry, the police investigation will find that the officers did nothing wrong and the whole thing will be swept under the rug.
As public servants and public employees, everything an officer does in his official duties is a matter of public record. When that record is a written record that the officer creates, they have control of the story and how it’s told. When it’s on video, the story unfolds (more or less) as it actually occurs, so they can’t spin it in their favor if they do something that puts them in a bad light.
This cop committed multiple Federal felonies. Google up 18USC242.
There are alot of conservatives out there who are having a hard time dealing with increasing reports of police state issues. Some believe you should blindly obey LEO even if they are acting unconstitutionally. They live in Leave it to Beaver times. False arrests are proliferating. I was recently arrested trying to demonstrate on a median. He wanted me on the curb seated I refused. He expected me to carry my ID on my person...I was on foot. Had to get an ACLU attorney for this one. Then there was the girl jogger in Austin-she violated the signal at an intersection as a pedestrian was detained and did not hear the cops approaching her from behind. In her case the cop had probable cause and will likely succeed in avoiding litigation (he will get “qualified immunity”). Tort Reform will keep costs down for cities or govt. entities so they will never have the fear of a large sledgehammer cost lawsuit to inspire them to train their officers correctly. The pincers between Tort Reform (forced settlements) and the SCOTUS case Atwater (2001) will blossom police civil rights abuse against citizens. In Texas, the Ruling Class has successfully neutered the trial lawyers on many areas of law, capping awards, creating a judicial branch with executive authority for judges to dismiss out of hand...it will end up being a problem.Anyway here is my vid on my arrest...I DID FILM! https://vimeo.com/87769802
Scary video.
Police have been fired for this in the past, and departments and cities have been sued. And taxpayers always pick up the tab.
Sue the individual law enforcement personnel instead, and these incidents (crimes) will stop.
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/7-rules-for-recording-police_042013
I would have said something like, "Sure you can film! Just do it while you're walking away from this area, which is now a crime scene. Or did you want to be taken to the station house to be interviewed over then next several hours about what you saw here and your phone taken as evidence?"
The public wants all the bad guys off the streets and all the crimes solved. But they don't realize it's not an episode of Law & Order and bystanders get hurt all the time.
Again, let me say, this cop is an idiot. Don't accuse me of defending him.
On a 1983 civil rights case you must sue the cop first....they do get sued.
Maryland just went through an expensive lawsuit over this last year, and the police lost. Why didn’t Baltimore County get the memo?
Today’s ‘police’ force is nothing more than ANOTHER gang.
We need to abolish them. They do NOT keep law or order anymore. They’re a legalized gang.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.