Comments on: Hawthorne home to an out-of-control police state

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:52:56 +0000

The same cop from a few days ago http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2013/05/06/california-cop-once-again-abuses-authority-by-harassing-photographer/

By: Jo

Jo — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:50:12 +0000

Criminals don’t like to be videotaped nuff said!!

By: Ted "Eddy Baby" Steele, Associate Prof.

Ted "Eddy Baby" Steele, Associate Prof. — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 04:08:30 +0000

Poodle boi— CPC 148—-you can film all you want, but not interfere. And it’s a judgement call from the officer’s POV. Mmmmmmmmm—now THAT I can live with!

0 for 14 ™!

By: Rex the Wonder Dog!

Rex the Wonder Dog! — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:48:42 +0000

There has been NO appeals court anywhere in the USA that has upheld **laws BANNING** videotaping in on a PUBLIC street,

By: Rex the Wonder Dog!

Rex the Wonder Dog! — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:47:27 +0000

I absolutely agree with a citizens right to film any police work. But stay back at least 25 feet and don’t pepper the officer with questions and comments.

Hondo- i usually agree with you but not here. There is no law, rule or regulation that dictates you must stand 25 feet or more away from police. I would recommend a distance of at least 2-3 arms lengths, but there is no law dictating that. A cop could use an obstruction charge t arrest you if you were close enough AND were interfering, but those are almost never prosecuted. As for the questioning- this is America, we have constitutionally protected right sunder the 1st Amendment and that includes free speech, including peppering questions, as well as petitioning government, like asking questions. Police have no legal authority to make you produce ID unless they have a “reasonable suspicion” you have, or in the process or will in the future commit a crime. That is it. If a cop THINKS you’re armed then he better not take his eyes off you-simple solution. If he has a REASONABLE SUSPECION you’re armed he can perform a cursory search of your OTTER CLOTHING, nothing more. There has been NO appeals court anywhere in the USA that has upheld videotaping in on a PUBLIC street, and I can guarantee you if they are arresting people for it in Chicago the are also being sued for false arrest. Read the CHICAGO case of Monroe v Pape which set off the civil rights wave of police misconduct lawsuits.

By: Donkey

Donkey — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:22:20 +0000

California is a police state, even at times worse than the old Soviet Union. 🙂

By: Hondo

Hondo — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:59:21 +0000

I’ve been involved with close to a hundred arrests while assisting our local police dept. Any bystander within 15 could be seen as a threat by a cop. I’ve seen people rush in and take evidence from a suspect during an arrest in attempt to destroy the evidence. Go to you tube and you’ll see dozens videos of people jumping in to interfere with an arrest and attacking the officer. That makes a situation profoundly unsafe for the officer and THE SUSPECT. I saw one video of a hispanic activist harrasing a cop during a traffic stop. She was withing a few feet of the officer and was an obvious threat. She distracted the officer from his focus, the man in the car. Traffic stops are very dangerous and while the cop was looking at the activist, the man in the car could have easily pulled a gun and shot him, and the activist (witness). He had turned his head to talk to the women for 20 seconds at a time, plenty of time to reach under the seat, find a pistol, rack a cartridge and fire a shot
I absolutely agree with a citizens right to film any police work. But stay back at least 25 feet and don’t pepper the officer with questions and comments. You may distract the officer long enough for the suspect being arrested or questioned to make an assault on the officer or dump some evidence.
In Illinois there was a law were you couldn’t tape an officer even if you were across the street. Judges kept dropping charges but the officers still kept arresting people. I absolutely support taping all police work. But just stay way back and don’t harass the cop.
Hondo…..

By: Dyspeptic

Dyspeptic — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:33:32 +0000

Thanks for reporting on this topic CWD. Very few news sources in Crazyfornia seem to care that those who “serve and protect” are running amok like arrogant little fascist piggy’s. When the badge wearing donut munchers illegally incarcerate someone for filming their job related activities in public exactly who are they serving and protecting? Not we the people.

Why are the police so afraid of being scrutinized by the public they supposedly serve? It’s because they routinely violate our rights and break the laws they took an oath to uphold. THIS IS WHY POLICE UNIONS ARE SO DANGEROUS. THEY BREED ABUSE OF POWER, INJUSTICE AND INSOLVENCY. SHAME ON YOU SHEEPLE FOR PUTTING UP WITH THIS ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR FROM YOUR “SERVANTS”.