Police falsely told a man he couldn’t film them. ‘I’m an attorney,’ he said - Wilmington NC

[Jimzz]

Police falsely told a man he couldn’t film them. ‘I’m an attorney,’ he said. ‘I know what the law is.’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-its-against-the-law-to-record-police-its-not

How can cops keep doing the same mess over and over... oh yea because they never get punished for it. And the even stupider thing about this, he only went public because they were so hard headed they would not return the guys calls and offer a simple apology. All they had to do was say sorry and it would have never gone public. Now its national news.


EDIT/Update:

Officer demoted after telling man he couldn't record police

http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/...ed-after-telling-man-he-couldnt-record-police

 

[highland145]

The short answer is that they're lost.

Kind of like you.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Technically the cops are right, after they shoot you or confiscate your phone, you can't film them anymore.

 

[highland145]

Bright said he didn’t initially want to share his story to the media, but when Becker refused to return his phone calls and the department never apologized, he decided to go public.

Yeah, eff them. Idiots. And...

“I think the video shows that the police are willing to lie in order to coerce people into doing what they want them to do,” he said. “You just have to know your rights.”

I don't care if you're 16 or 60....LAWYER.

That said, I do not think most police are out to get "you." Their job sucks balls and they're underpaid.

 

[jlee]

<-- P&N is that way.

 

[Rubycon]

I've had a lot of phones that have video capability.
None of them expose film or use magnetic tape in the process.
I'm old I know, but I must have missed something here.

 

[highland145]

Ha, my pmp 8 paper tape still runs.

 

[Darwin333]

Well a defense attorney that needs to make extra money driving for Uber isn't someone I'd want to hire but I'd think that he would be motivated to just do the right thing and release it regardless of an apology. WTF does an apology to him do for all the other people they did similar shit to? And yes, I'd still hire the guy who, if it is true, purposely set his pants on fire to try and get his client off an arson charge. Anyone willing to burn their frank and beans to keep me out of jail is a guy I want working on my side.

 

[Jimzz]

Well a defense attorney that needs to make extra money driving for Uber isn't someone I'd want to hire but I'd think that he would be motivated to just do the right thing and release it regardless of an apology. WTF does an apology to him do for all the other people they did similar shit to? And yes, I'd still hire the guy who, if it is true, purposely set his pants on fire to try and get his client off an arson charge. Anyone willing to burn their frank and beans to keep me out of jail is a guy I want working on my side.

He's a Public Defender in Wilmington NC, a very low cost of living place and also low pay. I also wager due to his age and job he is a recent grad so he has student loans.

A law degree is not a money making machine it was 20+ years ago. The field is saturated now.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I've had a lot of phones that have video capability.
None of them expose film or use magnetic tape in the process.
I'm old I know, but I must have missed something here.

Ever take a non escalator escalator? Ever wipe your nose with a non kleenex kleenex? Ever dial a phone number on a cell phone?

 

[Rubycon]

Your sarcasm meter must be using vacuum tubes with cold filaments.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Your sarcasm meter must be using vacuum tubes with cold filaments.

My decaying dilithium needs to be re-crystallized.

 

[Rubycon]

I used to irradiate mine with the radium source from a 1950s Gilbert spinthariscope.
In a bind you can take the active lining from a Revigator, roast in a retort at 900C and collect the radon gas for irradiation later.
Some collect thorium from old lantern mantles as well.
Whatever you do, don't fall for the cracked traser trick. The beta emissions from H3 are too weak and the gas dissipates far too rapidly to be of use!

 

[Darwin333]

He's a Public Defender in Wilmington NC, a very low cost of living place and also low pay. I also wager due to his age and job he is a recent grad so he has student loans.

A law degree is not a money making machine it was 20+ years ago. The field is saturated now.

Well the very low cost of living would just add to my not wanting to hire him. Sorry but good lawyers make enough money to not have to drive for Uber.

My definition for lawyers is still:
A good lawyer knows the law.
A great lawyer knows the judge.

 

[shortylickens]

I looked it up and theres only a handful of places in the whole country that have legally banned the recording of police. And I think those places have lawyers trying to bring the matter up to higher courts.

 

[Humpy]

I think the main takeaway isn't that cops are out to get you, but that if they fuck up they can likely persuade people to believe any version of events they want. A video recording makes that a little more difficult.

The bad cops will still just take the phone anyway.

I wonder how long it will be until cars come standard with built in, always on and uploaded video recording capability rather than relying on phones and cheap dashcams.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Bright said he didn’t initially want to share his story to the media, but when Becker refused to return his phone calls and the department never apologized, he decided to go public.

Yeah, eff them. Idiots. And...

“I think the video shows that the police are willing to lie in order to coerce people into doing what they want them to do,” he said. “You just have to know your rights.”

I don't care if you're 16 or 60....LAWYER.

That said, I do not think most police are out to get "you." Their job sucks balls and they're underpaid.

I disagree with the underpaid thing.

Also, like any service field, it's a numbers game for them. So yea, sometimes they're looking for easy targets.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I think the main takeaway isn't that cops are out to get you, but that if they fuck up they can likely persuade people to believe any version of events they want. A video recording makes that a little more difficult.

The bad cops will still just take the phone anyway.

I wonder how long it will be until cars come standard with built in, always on and uploaded video recording capability rather than relying on phones and cheap dashcams.

Police need body cams, always

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I looked it up and theres only a handful of places in the whole country that have legally banned the recording of police. And I think those places have lawyers trying to bring the matter up to higher courts.

You looked it up wrong. It's legal to film everywhere. There used to be a few places that banned it, but that got overturned by one of the US Circuit Appeals courts (5th maybe?) which made it legal everywhere. As the Circuit Court is one step below the Supreme Court, only the Supremes have the power to change it. Until they do, filming police is legal everywhere in the USA.

 

[Jeeebus]

You looked it up wrong. It's legal to film everywhere. There used to be a few places that banned it, but that got overturned by one of the US Circuit Appeals courts (either 8 or 9 IIRC) which made it legal everywhere. As the Circuit Court is one step below the Supreme Court, only the Supremes have the power to change it. Until they do, filming police is legal everywhere in the USA.

Umm... not exactly. Each federal circuit court of appeals oversees a few states and its rulings are only 'the law' within those states. The circuit courts differ on various issues, so the federal law in Florida may be interpreted than the federal law in California (unless of course the Supreme Court has settled the issue). That said, generally every court to consider the issue (state and federal) in the last several years has come down saying that filming in public is absolutely protected under First Amendment.

 

[Linux23]

Police need body cams, always

Agreed. But the public should have the rights to the footage and there should be some standardization on how the data is secured and for how long.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Bright said he didn’t initially want to share his story to the media, but when Becker refused to return his phone calls and the department never apologized, he decided to go public.

Yeah, eff them. Idiots. And...

“I think the video shows that the police are willing to lie in order to coerce people into doing what they want them to do,” he said. “You just have to know your rights.”

I don't care if you're 16 or 60....LAWYER.

That said, I do not think most police are out to get "you." Their job sucks balls and they're underpaid.

I don't give a rats fucking ass. No one forced them to take the job. And if they are going to take the job then do the job, not take it and do it poorly or illegally. Everyone should have a periscope like app on their phone for situations like this to show the world that simply confiscating the phone isn't going to destroy the evidence. If a cop is willing to lie while doing the job then they are probably willing to do a lot of other illegal things as well. A cop that lies on the job is not a cop, but a thug. A criminal.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

And I'm a white middle income guy in Georgia.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Agreed. But the public should have the rights to the footage and there should be some standardization on how the data is secured and for how long.

Sounds good to me.

 

[Genx87]

Many states have passed laws that ban recording of public officials in their duty. They will actually charge you and try to get you to plea out. The last thing a prosecutor wants is to take this to trial where the law will be tossed out on constitutional grounds. Most people think because a law is passed it must be legal. So this type of intimidation actually works.