These dipwads are out of control.
Unless he was undercover he is just being a tyrannical jerk.
Horsehockey - it is NOT illegal to take a picture of anybody in a public place, or from a public location. It's ironic that while the government is stepping up efforts to keep the little people under surveillance, they don't want the little people photographing them. It's all about who has control over the picture.
From Reason Mag:
Last month Scott Conover was driving on Highway 421 in Mountain City, Tennessee, when he saw a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy, Starling McCloud, on the side of the road near a Mustang he had just pulled over. For reasons that remain somewhat mysterious, Conover decided to take a picture of McCloud with his iPhone. According to McCloud and Mountain City police officer Kenneth Lane, who stopped at the scene to assist McCloud, Conover turned his Hummer around after passing the traffic stop and came by again slowly, telling McCloud, “Smile. I’m going to take your picture.” (snip)
What does the law say?
This cop needs to find a new line of work or at very minimum be put behind a desk.
In some states, that officer could be charged with “oppression under color of law.”
I’d like to see cops like this charged and brought to trial. It would put the rest of them on notice that they’re in the position to enforce laws, not write ad hoc laws on the spot.
Does anyone understand a police state? Getting there.
Smarter than most............
When in doubt, I always give the LEO the benefit of the doubt.
I'll make this as clear as I can: if this deputy thought that his life was threatened by a cell phone, he should be doing something else.
But can we still video tape police brutality cases? They’ve certainly come in handy.
What a sad indictment of our society...