![]() But for anyone with a prior conviction, the crime would be a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Violating that proposed law would be a petty offense for most people without a criminal history, punishable by a $300 fine. And even then, an officer could still order that person to stop recording and leave the area. John Kavanagh, a Republican, proposed a bill that would criminalize filming the police from closer than eight feet away and require someone to get the officer’s permission, even if they’re on private property. “The real concern is, whereas these bills are presented as a shield to protect officers' safety, we worry that it's going to be used as a sword against anyone who's got a camera,” Mickey Osterreicher, an attorney for the National Press Photographers Association, told VICE News. But experts still worry the efforts will be used to crack down on people’s ability to use their cellphones to hold police accountable. Lawmakers told VICE News the bills and laws are meant to protect officers' safety and privacy-not infringe on civilians’ rights. Over the last few months, Republicans in several states have introduced legislation-and in some cases, passed it-that could ultimately punish people for recording or publishing images or video of the police. While the local police chief publicly said his officers should know they’ll be filmed on the job, not everyone understands that the courts have repeatedly upheld civilians’ First Amendment right to record the cops, with few exceptions. But just weeks later, prosecutors dropped the charges of resisting law enforcement against him, and the officer who arrested him was suspended, investigated, and eventually fired. A resident of Gary, Indiana, spent two days in jail after filming a viral video of a local cop arresting a woman at a gas station in 2020.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |