Another day, another citizen arrested for video taping a cop.

Originally posted by PsykoOps
Source PINAC

Thanks for the info link.

Looking at the photo in the link, she seems like quite the attention whore. Not likely to take her seriously in attire like that despite the message. Chances are the message won't get through to the masses if that dress is all they'll really remember.

I find it funny how she tries to play innocent by noting how they were stopped while "just walking down the sidewalk." No, princess.

Another funny thing is how the friend was too nervous to start recording. Good to know that they are worthless when encountered with resistance. Their message won't go far with that attitude. Sure try to act big, bad, and loud, but shake in their boots when it matters

From her account, she just seems like a sour person bent out of shape against anyone not like her and her hipster/artsy friends.

I'm certainly not ready to tar all LEOs with the same brush, however it always strikes me in these videos how hopelessly unaware of the law some LEOs can be. It's legal to film in a public place. The girl (whether she's a precocious idiot or not) clearly asks the LEO a number of questions - including if she's being detained - and is ignored. If the LEO cannot clearly present his reasons for turning the camera off, and cannot understand the girl's right to film, he is NOT enforcing any law. He is merely being a bully with a badge.

Law Enforcement Officers, by their very title are there to enforce laws. If they don't know the laws, they need to find out by calling a superior (not done in this case). If they don't know the law, they are completely missing the point of their profession and should not be paid any public money in salary.

All my dealings (very few) with the law have been relatively pleasant and professional. One was having a bad day, but still was at least courteous. So my perception of LEOs is not jaded. That said, if you don't know what you're doing, don't do the job. In fact, if you don't know what you're doing you should be removed from your job.

Originally posted by TravisBickle451
I find it funny how she tries to play innocent by noting how they were stopped while "just walking down the sidewalk." No, princess.

Well what was she stopped for? She wasn't stopped for tresspassing because she had left when told to. She wasn't stopped for disturbing the peace either. So what was it then?

From her account, she just seems like a sour person bent out of shape against anyone not like her and her hipster/artsy friends.

Even if you might not like her or her friends that's no basis for arrest.

Did anyone else notice the guy in the video with the flashlight?
The officer seemed to defer to him at one point.

If someone is shining a flashlight at you - in broad daylight - they are doing one of two things (that I can think of):
1. Causing your camera to flare to hide their face.
2. Intimidating you.

Or it's a light on a camera and HE is filming...

Having cast a brief but careful eye over the 'PINAC' link this website is clearly unreliable thus I will not be accepting this as a neutral source for information. The reason being is that the literature appears to have been written by the female who was arrested by police therefore it is not objective and is biased. Just by the literature itself you can tell the female is very anti-police. She uses statements such as "I was surprised to find that the police hadn’t wiped the SD card." As well as "I think they wanted to sweep it under the rug and move on." I also find it interesting as to why the lawyer did not want to pursue this, surely his motivation isn't just money, surely it is getting justice for the perceived civil breaches against this female?

See fellow ATS members, this is why you must read things more closely and investigate them before jumping to conclusions. There are some people who just like to create confrontation so they can attempt to get a lawyer who will get a payout for them. More than likely this lawyer the female went to was a lot smarter and realised she may have committed offences.

Originally posted by PsykoOps

Originally posted by TravisBickle451
I find it funny how she tries to play innocent by noting how they were stopped while "just walking down the sidewalk." No, princess.

Well what was she stopped for? She wasn't stopped for tresspassing because she had left when told to. She wasn't stopped for disturbing the peace either. So what was it then?

From her account, she just seems like a sour person bent out of shape against anyone not like her and her hipster/artsy friends.

Even if you might not like her or her friends that's no basis for arrest.

I wasn't implying she should've been arrested because of her likes or her friends. It was just that from reading her story, she talks down on the cop, the security guard, the bank. Basically, anyone outside of her clique. Why was it even necessary to mention that the security guard was an ex-Marine or that his actions might've been a result of what happened while he served?

Also, she might've been stopped to be questioned about the events that had happened inside the bank. But in her story she plays innocent by trying to make it seem she was stopped for just walking on the sidewalk.

Her story has some facts, but is laden with her person feelings about the situation that can begs the reader to have pity on her. I know public photography is legal, but she didn't really handle the situation better than the cop.

Despite the Supreme Court in the US saying it was a constitutional right to video police.

www.naturalnews.com...

Supreme Court declares right to film police is protected under First Amendment

rt.com...

www.csmonitor.com...

reply to post by TravisBickle451


Why is it relevant what she has written after the fact? She wasn't exactly "questioned". She was arrested for tresspassing after she had left and disturnbance which was then thrown out by the judge.
Why was noone else then arrested or questioned? Why was she singled out? Well the only difference between her and her friends was that she had a camera and she refused to put it away when the cop unlawfully demanted so.

reply to post by ProfessorT

One has nothing to do with the other, not even a little.

People have the right to film the public. Does not matter who's in that public space whether it be a cop, a garbage man, a circus clown, the President of the US, Queen Elizabeth, Gumby, your mom etc.

Simple.

Originally posted by gladtobehere
reply to post by ProfessorT

 

One has nothing to do with the other, not even a little.

People have the right to film the public. Does not matter who's in that public space whether it be a cop, a garbage man, a circus clown, the President of the US, Queen Elizabeth, Gumby, your mom etc.

Simple.

Dear gladtobehere,

Many thanks for your reply.

I think you are missing the point I was trying to make which was the officer could have been dealing with a stressful situation (remember we don't really know what happened) and it doesn't help having a seemingly confrontational attempt by the videographer to film the officer. I have absolutely no issues with people filming what they want, when they want but only if it is suitable to do so and morally right. Sadly, we have developed this so-called 'claim culture' where people are so eager to capture anything on camera which will show organisations in a bad light to support their agenda.

Originally posted by MessOnTheFED!
reply to post by ProfessorT

 

Its true. Bad apples don't spoil the bunch, if you take them away soon enough. When it comes to police, no bad apples are taken away because they are all hiding behind their blue line. Not saying something about these bad apples sopils the whole lot of them. IMHO.

MOTF!

Exactly. You can't call me a good person if I hide bad people.

I never got the "some are good cops" argument. But perhaps there's more gray in the argument than my black-or-white brain will allow.

reply to post by Unity_99


Unity, thanks for the info. Good research.

If he was going to arrest her for trespassing, that's one thing, but he was obviously fixated on "put the camera away" which was obviously irrelevant on any grounds. Most certainly if he pulled somebody over on the highway, he wouldn't turn his dash-cam off at the demand of the person pulling over. Dash-cams have been used many, many times to prosecute. What's good for the goose. . .

Two most corrupt Cop forces NYPD and LAPD.

I have never had a positive experience with a cop in my lifetime.

They are just ordinary people with a God complex just because they got a Badge and Gun. Times are coming when the people will rise up against your billy clubs, pepper spray and brutal beatings.

Originally posted by ProfessorT

Originally posted by gladtobehere
reply to post by ProfessorT

 

One has nothing to do with the other, not even a little.

People have the right to film the public. Does not matter who's in that public space whether it be a cop, a garbage man, a circus clown, the President of the US, Queen Elizabeth, Gumby, your mom etc.

Simple.

Dear gladtobehere,

Many thanks for your reply.

I think you are missing the point I was trying to make which was the officer could have been dealing with a stressful situation (remember we don't really know what happened) and it doesn't help having a seemingly confrontational attempt by the videographer to film the officer. I have absolutely no issues with people filming what they want, when they want but only if it is suitable to do so and morally right. Sadly, we have developed this so-called 'claim culture' where people are so eager to capture anything on camera which will show organisations in a bad light to support their agenda.

Dearest of the most dear ProfessorT,

All praise thee for your attention and response.

I think you are missing the point I was trying to make which is...wait what?

Anyway.

Listen, who decides if its "suitable and morally right"? The cop? So the cop is now emperor and can arbitrarily decide when I'm allowed to exercise my rights? Seems like someone isnt playing with a full deck.

Cops are there to uphold the law, not to make them up or defy them.

reply to post by ProfessorT


If he is just doing his job why does the camera bother him so much? He should have answered her question. If they were being detained then he should have said so and for what. If they were not being detained he had no right to attack her. Call it what you want but you will feel differently when the police state expands and effects you personally. Funny how everyone can be so apathetic until it hits home and happens to them or a loved one.

reply to post by gladtobehere


It doesn't matter who you vote for. In fact, why bother the elections are rigged. Wake up and smell the new world order. The elections are just a false sense of control. Both parties are working toward the same goal. To dismantle America bit by bit and they are doing a fine job. Ever heard the term divide and conquer. All the banter is nothing more than distraction,entertainment and fear mongering. Your heart is in the right place but the system is beyond broken. Our only hope is for people to wake up and they will its just a matter of how and when. Hopefully sooner than later. Look up agenda 21, Monsanto, chemtrails, geomodified food, geoengineering, harrp weather modification, fema camps, you may already be aware of these things but if not I hope you will take some time to find out about them. We want the same thing our planet safe and our country free.

Originally posted by ProfessorT

Originally posted by jefwane
reply to post by ProfessorT

 

I disagree with your final statement about a "few bad apples don't rot the entire group'. They most certainly do and will if not removed quickly. If you take a generally good department, add a couple of knuckleheads, and then don't punish/remove knuckleheads when they do knuckleheaded things you will see the department move as a whole in the direction of the knuckleheads and not the other way around.

I'm sorry but I will have to disagree with you. I am only speaking from my personal experience. I do not live or work in America so I am bereft of any facts, laws or disciplinary procedures that you guys have there. I can only comment on what we have where I live. Our police service does root out the bad guys and girls and over the past 10-15 years the police has improved greatly. There has to be justification for everything you do as a police officer, lots of writing and going to court (if need be) to explain why you 'chose this option and not that one' for example. If a member of the police service gets in trouble they will be sacked in the majority of the cases.

It's important as a police officer that when you are out on the street you display exemplary behaviour and professionalism which I am glad to say 99.9% do and they are able to justify their actions under law. Knowledge is power. A badge does not give you that knowledge.

edit on 13-3-2013 by ProfessorT because: (no reason given)

It seems like things might be a bit different in whatever country you serve in.

There are reasons so many are bitter here in the USA. And there are good reasons why so many are now filming officers.

I do not believe in bashing LEO as a group. There are many good officers who do strive to serve and protect. They have a very difficult job.

However, the issue is that many do seem to have a God complex, and law enforcement in this country is becoming more and more militarized. The days are disappearing when you could expect respect from a law enforcement officer. You are more likely to be met with contempt and even aggression. Many departments, from big cities to small towns, run their territory more like a mafia, instilling fear into the public, targeting people who get on their bad side, and twisting situations to suit their wishes. The instances of officers getting overly physical are too numerous to list here. It ranges from everything from dragging old ladies out of their cars and onto the pavement, to ganging up on a person when they are down and beating them senseless. Things like this are happening way too often in this country, and people may try to film in order to protect themselves or others. So when an officer illegally tries to prevent filming, it only throws up red flags.

Perhaps in your country" If a member of the police service gets in trouble they will be sacked in the majority of the cases." But in the USA, officers consistently cover for each other and twist things around to protect their own. Protesting against treatment received from an officer is often futile,or at the very least a long hard road.