Texas Bill Would Make Recording Police Illegal - What are they afraid of?

[Jarlaxle]

Texas Bill Would Make Recording Police Illegal


A bill introduced in the Texas House of Representatives would make it illegal for private citizens to record police within 25 feet.

House Bill 2918, introduced by state Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) on Tuesday, would make the offense a misdemeanor. Citizens who are armed would not be permitted to record police activity within 100 feet of an officer, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Only representatives of radio or TV organizations that hold an FCC license, newspapers and magazines would have the right to record police.

The legislator disagreed with people on Twitter who said he’s seeking to make all filming of cops illegal.

“My bill ... just asks filmers to stand back a little so as not to interfere with law enforcement,” Villalba tweeted.



Yeah you cant have public servants being watched by the public they serve. Stand back a ways....like all the way out of zoom capabilities

Make it 5 feet, and that would be considered reasonable. 25 feet is crazy.

?

What is so unreasonable about 25 feet? That's only around two car lengths away and you can say to the cop you have a legal right to do it, in other states the cop will arrest you on trumped up charges.

it just seems arbitrary. I can see being within 5 feet as an issue, but 25 feet is across the street in some locations.

I get you but I think it is a good idea to have a law to back up the citizens.


Know Your Rights When Taking Photos and Making Video and Audio Recordings :: ACLU of Pennsylvania

• Police officers may order citizens to cease activities that are truly interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations. In general, a court will trust an officer's judgment about what is "interfering" more than yours. So if an officer orders you to stand back, do so.
• If the officer says he/she will arrest you if you continue to use your camera, in most circumstances it is better to put the camera away and call the ACLU for help, rather than risking arrest.

You have a right to capture images in public places, but you don't always have a right to record what people say. Pennsylvania's Wiretap Law makes it illegal to record private conversations - which can include conversations in public places - without the consent of all parties to the conversation.

An officer asking you to back up is one thing, however they have zero right to tell you to stop recording, and if they do, knuckling under only encourages them to be asshats about it in the future.

and i doubt the wiretap law applies to recording the action of a government actor in the process of executing their official duties.

Unfortunately, contempt of cop is a very serious crime, often punished by summary execution on the spot.

 

[Jarlaxle]

It should be illegal to have a camera on your cell phone.

Urine idiot.

 

[Jarlaxle]

He was recording me too close!

Wheres the phone?

Broken in the scuffle sir

*Cop and Captain laugh*

Phone was streaming to the cloud in real time.

*they stop laughing and look worried*

 

[Jarlaxle]

The law would make it illegal for you or a passenger to record a simple traffic stop.

I'm sure that is the entire point!

 

[Jarlaxle]

I'm surprised no one else has brought this up (or maybe I am underestimating ranges) but could this have as much to do with the audio portion of potential recordings as the video? 25 feet may not be an obstacle for video of an incident, but perhaps it would impede onlookers from easily recording audio of events. Just a guess, I have no idea how sensitive the microphones on your average cell phone are.

I haven't read the bill so my comments are subject to change, but as others have said, what does recording really have to do with anything? If people need to be 25 feet away to prevent interference in police activity, it doesn't matter if they are recording the scene or not. If this bill does specify people recording a scene, how is it more of an interference to stand holding a phone than to stand not holding a phone? Unless the police plan to do something they don't want on record, how does the phone hinder the performance of their duties?

Hey genius, stay out of the cops way and let them do their job!!!!!

When the cop tells you to drop and start sucking, which knee hits the ground first?

How old were you when you first learned to deep-throat a nightstick?

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

More "small" government from the Republican Party

 

[martybegan]

Make it 5 feet, and that would be considered reasonable. 25 feet is crazy.

?

What is so unreasonable about 25 feet? That's only around two car lengths away and you can say to the cop you have a legal right to do it, in other states the cop will arrest you on trumped up charges.

it just seems arbitrary. I can see being within 5 feet as an issue, but 25 feet is across the street in some locations.

I get you but I think it is a good idea to have a law to back up the citizens.


Know Your Rights When Taking Photos and Making Video and Audio Recordings :: ACLU of Pennsylvania

• Police officers may order citizens to cease activities that are truly interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations. In general, a court will trust an officer's judgment about what is "interfering" more than yours. So if an officer orders you to stand back, do so.
• If the officer says he/she will arrest you if you continue to use your camera, in most circumstances it is better to put the camera away and call the ACLU for help, rather than risking arrest.

You have a right to capture images in public places, but you don't always have a right to record what people say. Pennsylvania's Wiretap Law makes it illegal to record private conversations - which can include conversations in public places - without the consent of all parties to the conversation.

An officer asking you to back up is one thing, however they have zero right to tell you to stop recording, and if they do, knuckling under only encourages them to be asshats about it in the future.

and i doubt the wiretap law applies to recording the action of a government actor in the process of executing their official duties.

Unfortunately, contempt of cop is a very serious crime, often punished by summary execution on the spot.

Hopefully body cameras will start reducing that issue.