The police in the United States do not want you to video tape them. If you do, they might go all Kanye on you. You might even get jail time. 

Why does this matter? Because our smart phones have become valuable tools in holding the justice system accountable. Not only can you take selfies in your dirty bathroom, but if you ever turn the damned thing around you might even be able to keep someone honest. It is impartial, objective and has an impeccable memory. In short, the video that you take with your smart phone is the ideal witness. 

So, why isn’t video encouraged. There are still posters hanging in downtown Atlanta Marta stations encouraging people to report suspicious activity. Apparently, some law enforcement agencies are only interested in suspicious behavior when it doesn’t involve them. 

In Maryland, 2010, a man was arrested under wiretap laws for taking a video of his own traffic stop. He faced 16 years. In May, 2012, Mississippi twins were charged, again using wiretap laws, when they began to record police who were doing a murder investigation at their apartment complex. Then there is the recent case of the Hawthorne CA man. I will post that above. He was arrested and cuffed; his dog shot in the street in front of him, because he videotaped the police. 

Videotaping the police seems to fall into a gap in the law. It is legal, kind of. The Supreme Court, last year, upheld a ruling by the 7th U.S. Court of Appeals which stated that wiretapping laws violate the First Amendment when when they are used  against those record police officers doing their jobs in public. But apparently, a lot of cops don’t realize that it is legal, nor do the DA’s who are filing the charges. Neither do some of us, or you would see camera phones held up higher at an arrest than you do at concerts. 

What can we do?

First, Familiarize yourself with the phone on your camera, so that you could operate it at night.

with your eyes closed if you have to. 

Then check out this link to the Daily Sheeple. They want you to wake the flock up (I know.) 

Then press record.