Caught in the act - why citizens MUST retain the right to film police & government officials

Radley Balko, a civil libertarian best known for his work at Reason, Cato, and the Huffington Post, talks with John Stossel about the need for citizens to be able to film the police. In one clip, they show how an officer intentionally throws himself into a bicyclist while proclaiming the cyclist intentionally rammed him. In another clip, a policeman denies drawing his gun at a snowball fight when the video clearly shows that he did. Should the police feel afraid to act if they are filmed? If they are doing their job correctly, why should they? At the end of the show, Stossel dicusses the corruption of Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew and the corruption he and many other politicians were found guilty of. Isn't it good that we have a record of their corruption so that justice could be served? Shouldn't the same standard be applied to the police? Stossel's final point: individuals deserve privacy, individuals who get public money (such as ACORN administrators) deserve less privacy, and people who receive government money and who have the ability to forcibly control you - and the authority to hold a gun to your head - deserve to be held fully accountable and absolutely should be video recorded.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• stossel
• radley
• balko
• spiro
• agnew
• police
• cops
• film
• filming
• record
• recording
• video
• tape
• videotape
• bicycle
• gun
• libertarian
• Ron
• Paul

[Silentsam7532]

What most cops do not understand is that they have no rights to privacy when they put on that uniform. They have the right when they take it off and go home, but not when they put it on and go to work.

[contentlocked99]

cops... telling the truth? HAHAHA THATS FUNNY

[jwallbanger]

I LOVE the information age.

Poor little cops have to quit bullying people and do their damn job right, boo fuckin' hoo. I wish I had recorded the two times cops fucked me over with complete fucking LIES. Maybe now they'll actually start being public servants instead of thugs in uniform.

This shit proves how much they've been LYING all these years, often UNDER OATH!

That job attracts horrible human beings. Violent psychopaths that live for hurting people (gives them wood.)

Power to the People!

[leroyshaw61]

Lost his job??? big deal he needs his butt kicked and then stomp his face in the pavement.

[DanielGjorwell]

Most cops are honest. They are on the other hand forced to enforce (hmm) unjust laws. I know since my father is a police officer an thus I've come across more cops than most jailbirds even.

[CARSONB43]

I find it funny that people always say that most cops are honest! When cops stand around and watch one cop commit a crime, they are all guilty. Why else would they be against the "public" filming them, what are they worried about? If there was a gang that committed as many crimes as the police, they would be public enemy number one!

[ScoobyDigites]

we put faith and trust in our authority figures and they trampled all over it never again my faith is in has been and always will be in God

[xBandiitx]

@contentlocked99 I'm a cop and I always tell the truth. Pretty funny how what you said makes no sense.

[33iknow]

John Stossel likes the taste of Cop Cum!

[kober777]

@jehovahuponyou FUCK THE POLICE