Posted on 07/24/2012 6:01:16 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER
District police cannot interfere with citizens as they photograph or videotape officers performing their jobs in public, according to a new directive issued by Chief Cathy L. Lanier as part of settlement in a civil lawsuit.
The six-page general order, similar to one published by police in Baltimore in November, warns officers that “a bystander has the right under the First Amendment to observe and record members in the public discharge of their duties.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Big Sis is a two way street.
...“a bystander has the right under the First Amendment to observe and record members in the public discharge of their duties”...
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It is a pretty convoluted world we live in to have to justify the basic rights of a free man to observe and record what they see in a public place as having anything to do with the first amendment.
It is sad that a LEO is afraid of a camera, and needs to be ordered to allow the filming of their public actions.
The lack of respect many officers have for the public is sad. No longer is that thin blue line to protect us the citizen, it is now only to protect the police themselves.
First, it is troubling they need such directions. We’re supposed to be grateful we get to carry cameras and photgraph the police? Secondly, those directions can change any time.
Hmmmm. Seems to me that the phrase “if they have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear” should apply far more to public activity by police, than to illegal and unconstitutional searches and seizures of citizen’s private property...
Usually an interesting read...
What times I have rolled video on police cars and such at events, I had one with a couple of questions about why I so interested in the strobes lights.
http://us.fotolia.com/id/37766059
Considering what I go after is slightly different though since it is for stock purposes. I don’t want identifiable people and the like. Now if only some of it would sell. Here are a couple of examples fwiw.
What times I have rolled video on police cars and such at events, I had one with a couple of questions about why I so interested in the strobes lights.
http://us.fotolia.com/id/37766059
Considering what I go after is slightly different though since it is for stock purposes. I don’t want identifiable people and the like. Now if only some of it would sell. Here are a couple of examples fwiw.
Any police officer, from top to bottom, should be fired immediately if they interfere with a citizen filming or recording them performing their public duties. No honorable officer would object.
It should also apply to employees of federal agencies, who might, for example, find that their agency is smuggling arms to Mexico so that the drug cartels can kill our Border Patrolmen.
“Honorable officers” are about as common as “skittle pooping unicorns”.
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