Poilce are public employees, and the public has a right to video them doing their duty; so says a federal appeals court.
Pace Lattin wrote for Technorati,
Federal Courts Rule it is Not Illegal to Film Police
John S. Quarterman
The First Court of Appeals has reached a decision that would allow the
general public to video-tape police officers while they are working. This
decision comes right after several well-known public cases have come to
light involving citizens being arrested for video-taping police.
This specific case in question was Simon Glik vs.The City of Boston
(and several police officers), in which a teenage Simon Gilk was arrested
after videotaping Boston Police abusing a homeless man. While Mr. Gilk was
not interfering with the police, he was arrested on wiretapping charges.
The ACLU had sued on his behalf, even when the charges were dropped,
noting that there was a growing epidemic of citizens in the United States
being arrested by police for videotaping, even when documenting police
brutality and abuse.
The First Court Agreed with the ACLU that this should be legal, and wrote
that: “The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a
public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities,
fits comfortably within these principles [of protected First Amendment
activity].
The Atlanta Police Department already avoided this problem
by settling a previous case and making a policy that citizens can video police.
This appeals court ruling
now says anybody can, nationwide, because of the First Amendment.
Why has this become an issue lately?
Continue reading →
Sam Allen demonstrates Valdosta City and Lowndes County
School Boards cooperate, right there at the Board of Elections last night.
As he said, a 4 to 1 victory against 10 to 1 financial odds
proves grassroots organizing works.
