Atlanta police agreed to back off citizens who videotape

[meegbear]

The Atlanta police force will no longer tangle with citizens who videotape their actions in public, according to a recent settlement between citizen activists and the city.

"We commend the city for resolving a long-standing problem of police interfering with citizens who monitor police activity," Gerry Weber and Dan Grossman, the lawyers for the activists, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday.

The settlement involved Marlon Kautz, a 27-year-old volunteer with a group that films police activities called Copwatch. Two officers, upon taking his camera phone, told Kautz last year he was not allowed to record them making arrests after a raid of a local business. The police later returned his device without the pictures.

"The APD has shown time and time again that they do not want the public to see what they're doing," Vincent Castillenti, Copwatch organizer, said in an advisory.

He continued, "It's alarming to see police trying to create a veil of secrecy around their activities, and I think we should all be asking what it is they're trying to hide."

<snip>

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/14/atlanta-police-agreed-to-back-off-citizens-who-videotape/

Hopefully my state (MA) will get it's shit together and change the law making it illegal to film the police.

[Supply Side Jesus]

1. As long they stay out of the way

I see nothing wrong with video taping cops. Videos can be your best friend on the street.
I busted a kid for DUI not long ago, driving northbound in a southbound lane on a divided highway. So I took him to jail and he refused all testing. So a week later my SGT approaches me and asked if I had beat up the kid while doing roadside maneuvers. "No" I say, here watch the video from my dashboard camera. Sure I had backup for the arrest, but people love to cry "cover up!" Once you have the perp on board, turn the camera so it records them in the back for the ride. EVERYTHING is recorded...
Happy to say, he has charges for false reporting.

:D

[X_Digger]

2. K&R! n/t