Police Officers in Palm Beach Think You’re a Criminal for Video Recording

OFF THE WIRE
http://youtu.be/59N6KyusmeY

This video appears to show a man peacefully filming from a public sidewalk in Palm Beach County, FL. A sheriff’s deputy, a sergeant nonetheless, arrives on the scene and demands to see some identification. The man filming refuses and says he is required to show ID only if suspected of committing a crime. By the way, Florida is a Stop and ID state. A quick check of Florida statute 901.151 seems to shows that the man is indeed correct. The sergeant again demands to see some ID and tells the man he is interfering with an investigation. Huh? The disagreement goes back and forth for a while until the sergeant appears to arrest the man. Wow! The man filming sure didn’t seem to be breaking any laws, and he wasn’t creating any kind of public disturbance. The deputy, as usual, is on a serious power trip. Sadly, as more deputies arrive, none of them seem to realize that 1) the man isn’t committing a crime and 2) their own sergeant doesn’t know the law. Of course none of them voice this. Sad, truly sad!