Reply #16: We must be skeptical of any move to give cops more control over their lives

[derby378]

If a cop attempts to give me an order, he or she must have probable cause, or I will probably challenge the cop.

Don't get me wrong. I've had my share of traffic stops, and I've never been stopped by a cop who acted like a jerk. I always hand over my license and proof of insurance, answer any non-invasive questions about my business, and listen patiently to why I've been stopped in the first place. If I'm issued a ticket, I either pay it or take the Driver's Ed route.

But if I'm filming cops who are brutalizing a suspect without any apparent cause, and one of them orders me to turn the camera off, it is my right and duty to tell him that he has given an unlawful order that I have no duty to obey. How it plays out is another matter entirely, but cops are not above the law any more than I am.

And I do want to get along with cops. Without law enforcement, modern society would tear itself asunder. But there have to be limits for cops and civilians alike.