Fraternal Order of Police Supports 15 Years in Prison For Taping Cops in Public

[CrossLOPER]

I don't think that more viral mud slinging is going to help.

I've lived in fairly liberal areas, so I've rarely come across the "police are always right" or similar groups. In fact, most tend to have a negative view of the law. I'd like to say that I am non-biased in this debate, though I try to avoid dealing with police as much as possible.

The solution could lie in regional, rather than national oversight. Federal initiative is unlikely. With elections, healthcare, war, unemployment and unrest being in the news right now, I can't see this coming to national attention.

[a completely inoffensive name]

I don't think that more viral mud slinging is going to help.

I've lived in fairly liberal areas, so I've rarely come across the "police are always right" or similar groups. In fact, most tend to have a negative view of the law. I'd like to say that I am non-biased in this debate, though I try to avoid dealing with police as much as possible.

The solution could lie in regional, rather than national oversight. Federal initiative is unlikely. With elections, healthcare, war, unemployment and unrest being in the news right now, I can't see this coming to national attention.

This is true, it really does depend on your region. However, I just want to say that police forces for the most part in all of Southern California are inherently sketchy.

[Beskar]

You should send in complaints to the Independent Police Complaints Commission ...

Curses, I forgot, in America, these groups which are independent and ensure transparency and accountability are deemed as "Commie-Nazism".

[Major Robert Dump]

This will be ended at the Supreme Court, eventually.

[CrossLOPER]

This will be ended at the Supreme Court, eventually.

I have no doubt of that, though it will undoubtedly take a long time and still fail to affect the root of the problem.

[Major Robert Dump]

If making media is free speech, if campaign contributions (with a swell tax deduction even!) are free speech, then there is no way in Sam Hell that recording a public official performing his/her public duty is not free speech. The law should not apply to every public official EXCEPT police. There is no valid argument for a law prohibiting the recording of cops, only knee-jerk, holier than thou poop talk. Whats especially shocking is that the cases highlighted above were recorded by at least one party involved in the conversation, so normal eavesdropping laws should not rationally apply.

Cameras are everywhere. Cops record YOU. The ball bounces both ways. But I fear with the police in the few states with these laws using wiretap and eavesdropping laws to enforce these ridiculous codes, someone somewhere is going to have to trump them with an even better exploitation of laws already on the books. I think the key is going to end up being in the slander/libel area since thats where the whole "public official is open to public scrutiny" thing arose in the first place.

I still remember the look on Deputy Brown's face when he told me he was recording my interview, and I said "yeah, me too." In Oklahoma it is legal to record ANY conversation you are a part of, regardless of the others expectation to privacy.

When someone makes a real 1st Amendment case out of this, it will end up trumping states rights.

[Fisherking]

The fact that such laws exist only shows how effective courts and government authority is at keeping people ignorant of their rights.

Convicting anyone for recording a police officer should be imposable with a jury trial.