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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Court Upholds “First Amendment” Right To Film Police

A federal appeals court has ruled that the public has the right to film cops in public and has reinstated a lawsuit against a local New Hampshire police department brought by a woman arrested for filming a traffic stop.

The plaintiff in the case, Carla Gericke, was arrested on wiretapping allegations in 2010 for filming her friend being pulled over by the Weare Police Department during a late-night traffic stop. Although Gericke was never brought to trial, she sued, alleging that her arrest constituted retaliatory prosecution in breach of her constitutional rights.

The decision is but one in a string of decisions that are slowly sticking the needle into laws nationwide barring the recording of police as they perform their duties. But some states, like Massachusetts, outlaw the secret audio recording of police. A woman accused of secretly turning on the audio recording feature of her mobile phone while she was being arrested was charged with wiretapping two weeks ago in Massachusetts.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

A public servant performing official duties in a public place financed by the public has no expectation of privacy.

Anonymous said...

The government likes to tell us that they can track us numerous ways while we are in public (eg: license plates) and in private (NSA, et al.) but we can't record them in public.

Anonymous said...

All government entities should act as though all of their interactions are being recorded.

More importantly, all of their interactions should be recorded!

lmclain said...

Wait. The police can legally LIE to you, gang beat you into a coma, shoot you in the back, rape suspects, beat people AFTER they are handcuffed, sell drugs, laugh at our "rights", falsify reports to justify bogus arrests, hold citizens down while OTHER cops stomp and kick them, force you to give DNA samples before you are convicted of ANY crime, confiscate money and property without charges or trials (thieves and burglars go to PRISON for the very same thing, but not cops)) and generally act as public masters.
I can see why they don't want any citizen filming that stuff. Squealing like a pig. Poor things.
Film them every chance you get.

Anonymous said...

11:06 waaaaaa waaaaaa yep all the cops do it.

lmclain said...

Truth hurts, don't it. Is that why you're crying, or is it because so many of you cops have been CAUGHT doing it? THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of times.

Anonymous said...

You sound like a person that has been on the wrong end of the law. I feel sorry for you.

Anonymous said...

As it should a lot of police stops are un warranted and un constitutional.

lmclain said...

4:47..Wrong end of the law?! LOL!!
Ask any of the numerous cops who have delved into every avenue of information they can access, including ILLEGALLY accessing my driving record (that's a civil suit that could buy me a new house) in the VAIN hope they could post something to embarrass me or show a "motive" or a "grudge".
I don't even have a seat belt violation, a civil or criminal record, or points on my license.
No one, especially me, wants or needs your sympathy.
Save it for the ones who are hospitalized or killed by over- the-top, over reacting, WE ARE THE POLICE!, short but still very macho, goons with a gun.