Yes, You Have a First Amendment Right To Livestream Cops
Plus: Some State of the Union fact checking, a livestream discussion about gun rights and violence, and more...
War on Cameras
California City Pays $300,000 to Marine Veteran Tackled for Filming a Cop From His Porch
The city of Vallejo, California, has paid millions in recent years to settle excessive force lawsuits against its heavy-handed police force.
You Can Record Video of Police in Action. But Can You Livestream That Video?
Plus: Court rejects Biden plea on student loan plan, Ohio cops don't understand the First Amendment, and more...
Federal Judge Blocks Arizona Law Making It Illegal To Film Cops Within 8 Feet
"The Court fails to see how the presence of a person recording a video near an officer interferes with the officer's activities," the judge wrote.
Lawsuit: New Arizona Law Criminalizing Filming Police Within 8 Feet Violates First Amendment
The lawsuit argues the new law will chill protected First Amendment activities and keep media and the public from holding police accountable.
Brittney Griner's 9.5-Year Sentence Is Harsh Even by Russian Standards
It is unclear if, or when, she could be freed by a prisoner exchange.
California Cops Arrested Teens Who Recorded Use of Force—Now They're Getting Paid
The department will update its training to remind officers that citizens should not be arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights.
5 Ways to Curtail Police Violence and Prevent More Deaths Like George Floyd's
From tighter use-of-force rules to eliminating qualified immunity, here are some reforms that could make a real difference.
Minnesota Police Arrest CNN Reporters for the Act of Doing Journalism During George Floyd Protests
So much for the First Amendment.
This Bicycle Registration Law Gives Police Yet Another Excuse To Punish Insufficiently Meek Citizens
A Montgomery County, Maryland, ordinance authorizes impoundment and misdemeanor charges for cyclists who lack the requisite sticker.
Dallas Transit Agency Pays $345,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Photographer Arrested for Taking Pictures
DART police officer Stephanie Branch illegally arrested Avi Adelman after he defied her unlawful orders to stop photographing paramedics treating an overdose.
Appeals Court Rejects Qualified Immunity Claim by Dallas Transit Cop Who Arrested a Photographer for Taking Pictures
Officer Stephanie Branch arrested Avi Adelman for criminal trespass even though he was not doing anything illegal.
Remember the Vallejo Cop Who Tackled a Veteran for Filming Him?
Now he's being sued for another act of excessive force.
Marine Vet Films Traffic Stop From His Porch; California Cop Gives Him a Concussion
Adrian Burrell was well within his rights to record the officer.
Buying a Hammer? The U.K. Worries That Might Make You a Terrorist
Also suspicious: Recording police behavior.
Teenage Sisters Legally Recorded Police, Who Tackled Them to the Ground
According to the officer who took them down, the phone was "evidence."
Federal Court: Secretly Recording Government Officials Is a First Amendment Right
The ruling extends to secret recordings of police officers.
Reporter Says She Was Cuffed for Photographing a Cop in Public
Prosecutors have declined to file charges against the officer.
Are Omarosa's White House Recordings Even Legal?
The answer is not likely to please President Trump.
Videorecording Public Servants in Public
Most federal circuit courts have held that people generally have a right to record what police officers do in public places. But how far does that extend?
A Young Man Recorded a Cop Pointing His Gun Toward Children, So the Cop Arrested Him
An El Paso police officer pointed his gun at some children, then arrested the young man who caught it on camera.
Camera-Shy Cops Have No Legal Recourse
A federal appeals court confirms the First Amendment right to record police.
After Challenging Red Light Cameras, Oregon Man Fined $500 for Practicing Engineering Without a License
"Anyone should be allowed to talk about the traffic signals without being penalized," says Mats Järlström. He's suing the board.
Recording Police Misconduct Is Just the Beginning
Police monitoring apps are getting better and better at keeping an eye on officialdom. But some now aspire to reduce the need for police at all.
Cops Told This Uber Driver It's Illegal to Film Them. Surprise, He's a Lawyer.
Wilmington (N.C.) police imagined a 'new law' prohibiting recording police in public during a traffic stop.
San Bernardino Deputy Threatens to 'Create' Charges Against Man Videotaping Him
"I'll create something. Do you understand? You'll go to jail," deputy tells citizen.
Texas Deputies Tase Wheelchair-Bound Woman Who Had Been Recording Them
Sheketha Holman was tased while in her wheelchair after video recording officers arresting her daughter. She claims she was tased again while handcuffed.
Dallas Photographer Busted for Taking Pictures in Public Files First Amendment Suit
"There is freedom of the press," observed a puzzled paramedic who witnessed the arrest.
ACLU: Connecticut State Troopers Caught On Tape Fabricating Charges Against Protester
"Gotta cover our ass."
Man Arrested in Syracuse While Filming Cops Arresting Someone Else
Officers tells man, doing nothing obvious requiring arrest in video other than filming, he will "fuck you up" if he doesn't instantly comply.
How Local Anti-Violence Activists Brought the Alton Sterling Shooting Video to the Public
A group founded by a former gang member brought transparency to the shooting after officers' body cams "fell off."
Police to Be Trained on Concept of Free Press As Part of Ferguson Journalists' Lawsuit Settlement
St. Louis County PD adopts new "public information and news policy" following lawsuit alleging reporters were denied constitutional rights.
FBI Director Blames 'Viral Videos' for Rising Murder Rates
James Comey says watched cops are not aggressive enough.
Memphis Police Officer Tackles and Arrests Man For Video-Recording Him
Memphis PD's policy clearly states citizens have First Amendment right to record police.
The War on Cameras Just Went Code Red
Ruling in Fields v. City of Philadelphia says no 1st Amendment right to film cops unless you're challenging their behavior.
Camera-Shy Cops Can Relax
The exoneration of the officer who killed Zachary Hammond shows police have strong defenses against viral videos.
Obama's Rainbow of Everlasting Joy: The Year in Presidential Photography
Despite an ongoing media boycott of White House staff photography, the president's image crafters still call the shots.
Police Prosecutions Have Increased, but Convictions Have Not
Meanwhile, shootings by police show no sign of slowing.
Police Body Cameras Reduce Violence, Says Yet Another Study
Watched cops are polite cops, and citizens too.
Virginia State Cop Forced BBC Reporter to Delete Footage of Vester Flanagan Crash Site
The State Police are looking into the incident.
New California Law Upholds Public Right to Record
Will major civil liberties measure change the way California police behave?
Camera-Shy Cop Draws Gun on Cellphone-Wielding Suburbanite
"Are you some kind of a constitutionalist crazy guy?" the officer asks.
Camera-Stealing Cop: 'How Do You Stop Your Phone?'
Police in Wake Forest, North Carolina, admit an officer was wrong to bust a bystander for recording a friend's arrest.