Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Police In Maryland Are Out Of Control

From CBS:

Several Marylanders face felony charges for recording their arrests on camera, and others have been intimidated to shut their cameras off.

That's touched off a legal controversy. Mike Hellgren explains the fierce debate and what you should do to protect yourself.

A man whose arrest was caught on video faces felony charges from Maryland State Police for recording it on camera.

"We are enforcing the law, and we don't make any apologies for that," said Greg Shipley, MSP. 

Video of another arrest at the Preakness quickly made its way online, despite an officer issuing this warning to the person who shot it, "Do me a favor and turn that off. It's illegal to videotape anybody's voice or anything else, against the law in the state of Maryland." 

But is he right? Can police stop you from recording their actions, like a beating at the University of Maryland College Park?

The American Civil Liberties Union says no.

"For the government to be saying it has the power to prevent citizens from doing that is profoundly shocking, troubling, and particularly in the case of Maryland, simply flat-out wrong," said David Roach, ACLU. 
Check out this video. If I am not mistaken, the police are pressing charges against the man who took this video:

2 comments:

Michael Travis said...

In Post-America Photography and (oh my lordy...)sound recording outside your own home.......is viewed as a crime by most politicos,,,many cops..and millions of castrated peasants.

Michael Travis said...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasoncina/3386721591/