Yes, We Can
“You can’t record me. You can’t record me. You trying to go to jail?” demanded an officer from the Gary, Ind., Police Dept. Edward M. Strauss, 36, stood his ground. “Well, I can,” he told the officer. “This is a public street and, by the way, you’re live on YouTube right now.” Strauss was arrested, charged with disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement. “You know what? You just violated my rights!” Strauss said as he was being handcuffed. He didn’t file a complaint about the officers, but the department opened an internal affairs investigation after seeing the video: recording a police officer on the job from a public place is not illegal, Chief Richard Allen confirmed, adding “We do not condone the violation of any rights given to citizens.” Even though the officer clearly knew the device Strauss was holding was a phone, and he was recording her, police filed an affidavit saying they found his “black and metallic looking object” that “may have been a weapon” was “suspicious,” and the charges have not been dropped. He is scheduled for trial next month. (RC/Northwest Indiana Times) ...Citizens know recording the police is not illegal. The chief knows it too. Why don’t the officers?Story Update: After an investigation, Chief Allen recommended a reprimand of the officer, Nicretia Jones, saying she violated a number of the department’s policies. The officer “had previously received procedural justice training that specifically trained her to handle this situation differently,†he said. “Her failure to comply with her training is highly detrimental to the Gary Police Department and the city.†Jones then resigned from the department. Strauss has filed a federal Civil Rights lawsuit against the city.
Original Publication Date: 28 October 2018
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 25.
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 25.
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