Right to tape PD in Mass.

TomK · 08-30-2011, 03:02 PM

This is from a blog that appears on Boston.com but is independent of them.
Excerpts here – follow link for full blog comments and details.

Posted by Carol Rose, On Liberty August 30, 2011
Victory for liberty and the right to videotape public officials - On Liberty blog - Boston.com

Quote:

The First Circuit Court of Appeals--the highest federal court for New England just below the U.S. Supreme Court--last Friday handed down a ground-breaking decision defending our right to videotape the police and other public officials as they engage in their official duties--including when, as in this case, the cops appear to be beating a man on the Boston Common.

Quote:

"The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities, fits comfortably within these principles [of protected First Amendment activity]. Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting the free discussion of governmental affairs."

Quote:

The Court further stated that such protections should have been clear to the police all along, noting that the right to videotape police carrying out their duties in a public forum is "fundamental and virtually self-evident", particularly on the Boston Common--the "apotheosis of a public forum."
The Court also made it clear that the right to videotape public officials isn't limited to the press. Rather, the Court noted, "the public's right of access to information is coextensive with that of the press."

GeneV · 08-31-2011, 05:31 AM

It is about time. These cases keep coming up all over the country.

Wheatfield · 08-31-2011, 12:53 PM

But now it's illegal to take pictures of no esthetic value in Long Beach.
Win some, lose some.

GeneV · 08-31-2011, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

But now it's illegal to take pictures of no esthetic value in Long Beach.
Win some, lose some.

If that were a crime, I'd be in trouble.

Wheatfield · 09-01-2011, 08:03 AM

Originally posted by GeneV

If that were a crime, I'd be in trouble.

Me too. Looks like I'll have to choose another vacation spot.
Long Beach Police Trained To Detain Photogs Not Producing Photos of "Esthetic Value" | Pixiq

GeneV · 09-01-2011, 01:42 PM

Perhaps they will give the photographer a ticket for not properly aligning the head, the heart and the eye.

08-30-2011, 03:02 PM	#1
TomK Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: NJ USA Posts: 281	Right to tape PD in Mass. This is from a blog that appears on Boston.com but is independent of them. Excerpts here – follow link for full blog comments and details. Posted by Carol Rose, On Liberty August 30, 2011 Victory for liberty and the right to videotape public officials - On Liberty blog - Boston.com Quote: The First Circuit Court of Appeals--the highest federal court for New England just below the U.S. Supreme Court--last Friday handed down a ground-breaking decision defending our right to videotape the police and other public officials as they engage in their official duties--including when, as in this case, the cops appear to be beating a man on the Boston Common. Quote: "The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities, fits comfortably within these principles [of protected First Amendment activity]. Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting the free discussion of governmental affairs." Quote: The Court further stated that such protections should have been clear to the police all along, noting that the right to videotape police carrying out their duties in a public forum is "fundamental and virtually self-evident", particularly on the Boston Common--the "apotheosis of a public forum." The Court also made it clear that the right to videotape public officials isn't limited to the press. Rather, the Court noted, "the public's right of access to information is coextensive with that of the press."

09-01-2011, 01:42 PM	#6
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Perhaps they will give the photographer a ticket for not properly aligning the head, the heart and the eye. Last edited by GeneV; 09-01-2011 at 03:51 PM.

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08-31-2011, 05:31 AM	#2
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	It is about time. These cases keep coming up all over the country.

08-31-2011, 12:53 PM	#3
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	But now it's illegal to take pictures of no esthetic value in Long Beach. Win some, lose some.

08-31-2011, 02:58 PM	#4
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Originally posted by Wheatfield But now it's illegal to take pictures of no esthetic value in Long Beach. Win some, lose some. If that were a crime, I'd be in trouble.

09-01-2011, 08:03 AM	#5
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Originally posted by GeneV If that were a crime, I'd be in trouble. Me too. Looks like I'll have to choose another vacation spot. Long Beach Police Trained To Detain Photogs Not Producing Photos of "Esthetic Value" \| Pixiq