Monday, January 23, 2012

Londonderry (NH) Police Officer Receives 101 on Filming Public Officials

OFF THE WIRE
copblock.org
Above is the video encounter with myself and the Londonderry police officer who claims audio recording him is illegal.
An unknown, because I forgot to get his name (major fail), Londonderry Police officer tried to tell me that audio recording police doing their public duty was illegal. At one point stating, “check yourself.” Since I’m already facing three counts of wiretapping, and have spent the last year caught up in court cases, I turned the camera off. I told the officer that he was wrong and left to seek the others who came to support Kelly and her TSA activism – see this video of the demonstration.
It amazes me that public officials (especially police officers) still feel they have an expectation of privacy while conducting public duties. Again how, after the national publicity Glik received and the ever growing cell phone technology, can anyone – let alone police – have any expectation of privacy while in public or open space is beyond me. If the bank on the corner isn’t filming you, the gas station is and if  not those I bet someone is near by with a smart phone. Unless you’re in your own home, on your own property, you have no expectation of privacy, sorry.
The solution to this would be to rid ourselves of public servants and replace them with privately run businesses. This way when officer Londonderry tells me I can’t film the actions which I pay him for, I can simply stop paying him and find someone who provides the service I want. You don’t see me making videos about Piggly Wiggly (grocery store chain) and the bad service I feel they provide. Why is that? Because I’m able to go to Market Basket (another grocery chain) instead and Piggly Wiggly isn’t allow to force me to pay for their service (which is food distribution). If only policing were the same.
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