Through The Lens Of Siriunsun's Camera

Through The Lens Of Siriunsun's Camera

Through The Lens Of Siriunsun's Camera

ACLU Guide For Snapping Pictures In Public

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about snapping pictures in public, especially of police officers while they are eating doughnuts and beating people up....er...working. Police officers will often tell people that it is not lawful to take pictures of police officers when they do their jobs, and will even confiscate cameras of bystanders and arrest journalists and reporters when cameras have clearly caught police officers with their pants down. But the truth is, taking pictures in public is perfectly legal. On private property, one must have permission of the property owner in order to take pictures, but in public, one may snap pictures of anything one can see. Police may not confiscate anyone's camera or SD card without a warrant, and police officers have even been brought up on charges of tampering with evidence for doing just that. The American Civil Liberties Union has published a guide for photographers for reference.

Pictures of police in action, taken by citizens, provide an independent record of the photographed or recorded incident. Such evidence reduces the prevalence of faulty memories and lies, and is important for transparency of those who represent authority. No one should have to worry about police confiscating photographs or cameras, and no police officer should do anything in the line of duty that he or she would not want photographed.

Through The Lens Of Siriunsun's Camera

Police In Motion Pictures

Something law enforcement should remember is that police officers cannot assault and batter anyone they choose without abandon anymore, thanks to the advent of the digital camera and the cell phone. Even if one eyewitness with such a device is pounded to the ground, law enforcement cannot possibly interfere with every filming witness or surveillance camera. Google even snaps random pictures. Finding each and every possible camera isn't even possible, anymore. No matter how loudly police officers threaten those with recording devices, it remains perfectly legal, under the Constitution, to photograph and record them, as long as said police officers are in public. The ACLU has graciously provided us with a guide for gathering such photographic records here. For further enjoyment, there is a picture below of former police officer James Kinsella, at his bond hearing in Omaha, Nebraska, after being charged with felony tampering with evidence because he snatched cameras and SD cards from men who attempted to record evidence of their local police at work. It isn't legal at all for a cop to snatch a cell phone, camera, or an SD card from a citizen.