Free Republic

Last month, Brian Kelly of Carlisle, Pa., was riding with a friend when the car he was in was pulled over by a local police officer. Kelly, an amateur videographer, had his video camera with him and decided to record the traffic stop. The officer who pulled over the vehicle saw the camera and demanded Kelly hand it over. Kelly obliged. Soon after, six more police officers pulled up. They arrested Kelly on charges of violating an outdated Pennsylvania wiretapping law that forbids audio recordings of any second party without their permission. In this case, that party was the police...

Eighteen-year old Brian Kelly of Carlisle, Pennsylvania is facing a felony charge and a possible 7-year prison sentence for videotaping police as they issued a traffic ticket to the driver of the pick-up truck in which he was a passenger. Kelly is charged under a Pennsylvania “privacy” law that bars the recording of anyone's oral conversation without that person’s consent. Carlisle Police Chief Stephen Margeson defended the officer’s actions. “We already videotape our officers,” Margeson said. “There’s no need for others to duplicate these efforts. Multiple tapes of the same incident could lead to different interpretations and cause confusion. It’s...