19 July, 2010

Photo terrorist or citizens concerning the police violence?

There is a bill introduced to the US congress to protect the citizens filming the police officers on duty in public spaces. I think that reduce the police brutality and false claims on innocent citizens. We know the police officers need to arrest certain number of people to keep a good record for their career. It is like the officers in the traffic division writes tickets to fulfill their norm. However, it can be a problem if the officer only concern about one's career. A detective trying to achieve high crime solving rate may make up evidences or bring in false witnesses to finish one's job by making an innocent suspect guilty. If you are the first person to discover the crime scene, you would be chosen as the suspect and ending up to be claimed as the criminal. How do you like it?

Here is the quote of the wonderful bill:

111th CONGRESS
2d Session

H. CON. RES. 298

Expressing the sense of Congress that the videotaping or photographing of police engaged in potentially abusive activity in a public place should not be prosecuted in State or Federal courts.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 15, 2010

Mr. TOWNS submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary


CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress that the videotaping or photographing of police engaged in potentially abusive activity in a public place should not be prosecuted in State or Federal courts.

Whereas prosecutors in several States are applying State wiretapping laws in the prosecution of individuals for the videotaping of police engaged in potentially abusive activity;

Whereas State and Federal wiretapping laws were not intended to be used for such charges;

Whereas some police departments have been using national security as a justification for the harassment, charges, or an arrest of individuals, based solely on a citizen recording, with no additional factors considered;

Whereas a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2000 indicated that 22 percent of police officers claim their fellow officers sometimes, often, or always use excessive force; and

Whereas the privacy and safety rights of the police officers in the line of duty must be balanced carefully with the public's right to transparency and accountability of public servants: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
      (1) citizen recording fills in gaps in existing checks against law enforcement abuses, when balanced with the needs of law enforcement, police privacy, and citizen privacy;
      (2) national security alone is insufficient justification for harassment, charges, or an arrest for otherwise innocent behavior, such as videotaping; and
      (3) members of the public have a right to observe, and if they choose, to make video or sound recordings of the police during the discharge of their public duties, as long as they do not physically or otherwise interfere with the officers' discharge of their duties, or violate any other State or Federal law, intended to protect the safety of police officers, in the process of the recording.
(http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.CON.RES.298:)



In my opinion, I think everyone should have a right to video tape when the one talks with a police officer or a detective. It helps the police to behave polite and respectful toward citizens. Perhaps, the citizens should videotape researchers communicating with them for their researches, too. Then the researchers cannot make up a conclusion from misleading the communication with the targeted population. And people visiting SJSU campus should have right to videotape their communication anywhere to prevent the university police or faculty members making up a claim of someone to be suicidal. My evidence shows Sgt. John Laws handcuffed me before he explain they thought me suicidal. I never thought someone claim me suicidal, but it became an official document because of Dr. English-Lueck just asking me to see her in her office 5 minutes.. If that incident causes more trouble in my life because of the false mental record, then I have to tell more about the incident to clear that false suicidal claim. Tell me the reason why people cannot film when the cops claiming me suicidal and I really were on my way to my class like this?

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