Before tens – if not hundreds – of thousands of patriots converge to “Occupy Chicago” ahead of joint G8 and NATO summits in May – there needs to be some housekeeping – namely, getting rid of the law that forbids people from recording police officers. According to the Illinois Eavesdropping Act of 1961 – it’s illegal to record a police officer – and those who violate the law could face up to 15 years in prison.
Now, one state Representative – Elaine Nekrits – is proposing an amendment to the law to allow for recording of police in public spaces. As we’ve seen during previous occupy demonstrations – being able to record police has been the best defense against ongoing police brutality – from New York to Oakland to the University of California at Davis.
The amendment has actually gained the support of Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy who argued that videotaping is needed for the protection of both the police and civilians. It’s crucial this law is struck down before May’s demonstration to ensure that the whole world REALLY is watching.
Comments
I don't support the goals of OWS. But I do believe that they have a right to protect themselves against false accusations. The best way to do this through the camera lens. I also do not understand why the police are allowed to conceal their faces when breaking up these events. What are they hiding from? Are they not public servants? This law will only protect rogue police officers and must be repealed.
When people fear the government we have tyranny. When government fears the people we have liberty.
Hear, hear! rigel, you and I are in total agreement and this is your best post ever. Well done!
They outlawed filming police officers because video footage lies. The police are always good, damn hippies always stink, and the camera lies.
The city of Baltimore just made public a new policy Friday (that was actually decided in November) that states, in part : "No member of the Baltimore Police Department may prevent or prohibit any person's ability to observe, photograph and/or make a video recording ... of police activity that occurs in the public domain."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bal-public-can-reco...
There is at least one court case pending where the city police acted otherwise.
I’ll amazed at the bias shown by Chicago Press in reporting cases about Illinois Eavesdropping Law. In Cook County there were three Eavesdropping Cases: People v. Moore, People v. Drew and People v. Melongo. In the first case, the jury acquitted the defendant. In the last two cases, there are pending motions to dismiss. However, the Chicago Press has completely ignored the Melongo’s case and focused all its attention on the Drew’s case. Melongo recorded conversations with Pamela Taylor for an allegedly altered court transcript. Mrs. Taylor is a public official working at the criminal located at 2600th California Ave. Melongo has spent 22 months in jail for this offense, is currently out on house arrest, yet the local press in all of its many articles, has completely ignored the Melongo’s case. Why? Maybe there’s a great bias in the press against police to the extend that it has turned a blind eye on the integrity of reporting the news. If it wants to report news related to the Eavesdropping Law, then by all means, it should report ALL of it; I’m extremely shocked at what’s happening here.
Melongo’s Motion to dismiss: http://www.scribd.com/doc/81096353/Amended-Motion-To-Dismiss...
State response’s to Melongo’s motion: http://www.scribd.com/doc/81750317/State-Response-Amended-Mo...
Melongo’s arguments on her motion to dismiss will be heard on March 13th, 2012. The presiding judge is Goebel.
That’s what mean being impartial. Tell the ENTIRE story. Not just a snippet of it.
An article posted on the Baltimore Sun web site by Justin Fenton on 5/17/12 stated that the US Justice Department recently submitted a letter in support of a Howard County, MD man who is suing the Baltimore Police Department because officers deleted videoes from his cell phone after he recorded them performing an arrest. The ACLU is working to support Christopher Sharp in his case (see list of related articles on the web page).
DOJ seeks to tighten Baltimore policy on recording police