Appeals court: First Amendment gives public right to video police
FORT WORTH -- Take a quick look at Phillip Turner’s police videos and the word “testy” comes to mind.
A 27-year-old part-time college student, Turner has been conducting self-described “First Amendment Audits” over the past few years by shooting videos outside police stations across the state. His work often leads to tense verbal exchanges with officers who clearly don’t like what he’s doing.
A 2015 encounter with Fort Worth police outside an east-side police substation, however, is having a far-reaching impact after the federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month used Turner’s case to clear up any question that videotaping or filming police activities is protected by the First Amendment.
The ruling comes at a time when police activities have been under close scrutiny, with videos like the one taken in the Jacqueline Craig case in Fort Worth going viral and turning a nationwide spotlight on police conduct. Fort Worth police officer William Martin was suspended for 10 days after cellphone video showed Martin’s questionable behavior while arresting Craig and her two daughters.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article135125164.html
