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College Student Arrested Video Taping Police

Wild Bill

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Wild Bill Advanced Member

Wild Bill

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College Student Arrested Video Taping Police

 

Tarpon Springs, Florida -- It's called "Cop Watching," where people tape police officers as they make stops and arrests. Tommy Frane says it's not that people who do the taping are against police officers, but they want to hold them accountable, like they do all public officials.

 

But when Frane and his friend, William Kilgore, did it Saturday night, Kilgore landed in jail. Frane says it is something you hear about in fascist countries and China, where people can't look at their public servants or hold them accountable.

 

The trouble began when Kilgore taped Tarpon Springs police officers arresting someone who had a controlled substance in his car. The two say an officer walked up and said the tape was evidence. Kilgore says he was told he two options: either surrender the tape or go to jail.

 

When Kilgore, who has taped officers making drug busts in Tampa, said he wasn't comfortable turning the tape over without a warrant, he says the officer got agitated.

 

Kilgore says the officer kept saying turn it over and he kept saying he wasn't going to and the officer then put on the cuffs.

 

Not only did the Tarpon Springs Police Department take the camera without a warrant and arrest Kilgore, but also when his friend, Tommy Frane, started taping the arrest with his cell phone, they confiscated that as well.

 

Gregg Thomas, who is one of the foremost First Amendment attorneys in the country, says it seems like a clear violation of civil rights.

 

Thomas, who has won a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, says there is no real lawful reason for the officer to seize someone's camera or even threaten them with arrest.

 

Meanwhile, Kilgore wants to know why the Tarpon Springs police are so scared of his filming. He says it raises a lot of other questions.

 

Among those questions is whether or not taxpayers will have to pay for any penalty if a civil rights suit is filed against the department and city.

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EdwardGlen Advanced Member

+EdwardGlen

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I'll be sure to bring my DVD/Mini-Cam to all the rallies I attend. Intersting article about this very subject from last year on NPR' 'Talk of The Nation"

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128387108

 

We have two wireless baby video monitors we bought at a Christian thrift store for $15.00 each. They record in extremely low light and also record audio.

 

http://www.szprice.com/products/2GB-Rechargeable-Digital-Pin-hole-Hidden-Camera-and-USB-Drive-Disguised-as-Working-Pen_1933.html

 

$19.99

 

2GB Rechargeable Digital Pin-hole Hidden Camera and USB Drive Disguised as Working Pen

 

* Overview

 

Features:

* Tiny pin-hole camera hidden inside a working ball pen

* Simply push button to record, push again to stop

* Built-in lithium battery recharged by any powered USB port

* Perfect for extra security at service counters

* Some countries and states may be require you to inform the party who's being recorded about the pin hole camera

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greenbuddha Advanced Member

greenbuddha

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Got to be a 'false arrest' in there somewhere.

 

And throw in a 'civil rights' violation and ya got a heck of nice law suit.

 

And the 'department' will settle just so it 'won't' go to court.

 

Because if it 'does' go to court they know the odds are about 30 to 1 that they'll lose with a 'jury' trial.

 

These guys very well could end up with enough money to go into the movie business.

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DUPLICITYx3 Member

DUPLICITYx3

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Funny, I used to live very close to Tarpon Springs.

 

Unfortunately, if a police officer tells you to take your shoes off, you need to comply. It's called disobeying a law enforcement officers' orders/commands if you don't. I 100% disagree with the circumstances and sounds like the officer(s) were in the wrong. But without hearing the officer's side, we don't have the whole story. In what proximity were the 'students'? Were they being disruptive? You only know what you've been told...media.

 

Rodney King? Yeah, eight officers putting the boots to an unarmed, 'defenseless' man was absolutely unnecessary. But we as the public didn't here the WHOLE story 'til the trial when all the evidence came to light. Put in that situation, any one of us may have lent a boot to Mr. King. Kind of reminds me of being in the military/battle. Unless you yourself have been shot at, your opinion on rules on engagement mean nothing.

 

Police officers are under extreme pressures and stress. Even with copious training and experience they make mistakes, like people in ALL other professions.

 

just my opinion

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greenbuddha Advanced Member

greenbuddha

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Funny, I used to live very close to Tarpon Springs.

 

Unfortunately, if a police officer tells you to take your shoes off, you need to comply. It's called disobeying a law enforcement officers' orders/commands if you don't. I 100% disagree with the circumstances and sounds like the officer(s) were in the wrong. But without hearing the officer's side, we don't have the whole story. In what proximity were the 'students'? Were they being disruptive? You only know what you've been told...media.

 

Rodney King? Yeah, eight officers putting the boots to an unarmed, 'defenseless' man was absolutely unnecessary. But we as the public didn't here the WHOLE story 'til the trial when all the evidence came to light. Put in that situation, any one of us may have lent a boot to Mr. King. Kind of reminds me of being in the military/battle. Unless you yourself have been shot at, your opinion on rules on engagement mean nothing.

 

Police officers are under extreme pressures and stress. Even with copious training and experience they make mistakes, like people in ALL other professions.

 

just my opinion

 

Dupli, Very true.

 

But 'if' these guys weren't being obnoxious or hampering the officers in any way, they should have every right to do what they did, and if they were not keeping the officers from doing their jobs... then the guys with the cameras have every right to sue and IMO they 'should' sue.

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