Citizen arrested for video taping from front yard

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhnUgAaea4M&feature=player_detailpage[/youtube]

She was ordered to go inside her home, it might be thought it was done for her own safety (many traffic stops turn violent, including with gunfire).

According to the links, she was asked twice.

According to the links, she is 'no stranger to police' and has had past trouble. There''s even mention by a city council member there that has him state "It did not look well for us in terms of how we police and what it is we're attempting to accomplish"
however he also states that the woman "could have diffused this latest incident by complying with the officers order. Adding "Typically, I tell people when the police give you an order, that your should follow it, even if you don't like it. We have a process to make complaints..."

If the woman had been injured or killed during this incident, and it was revealed the police hadn't asked her to go inside (and she was filming it so it would have become clear in time) then they'd be cursed at and held up as not doing their jobs correctly.



This is all the fault of George Eastman and others that created cameras, film and other evil devices which record what is happening.

Once she stepped back onto her own private property it would seem the police officer would have needed a warrant to go onto her lawn.

RexRed wrote:

Once she stepped back onto her own private property it would seem the police officer would have needed a warrant to go onto her lawn.

If someone is breaking the law in plain sight, it doesn't matter where they are, the police have a right to apprehend them.

That said, it's also been determined that if you are in public then you have not expectation of privacy and you can be filmed.

I'm surprised that the prosecutor moved forward with this, as it's pretty clearly a case of an officer over reaching.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/07/27/0212232/Facing-16-Years-In-Prison-For-Videotaping-Police

"Slashdot readers may recall the case of a Maryland motorcyclist (Anthony Graber) arrested and charged with wiretapping violations (a felony) when he recorded his interaction with a Maryland State Trooper. Today, Judge Emory A. Pitt threw out the wiretapping charges against Graber, leaving only his traffic violations to be decided on his October 12 trial date. 'The judge ruled that Maryland's wire tap law allows recording of both voice and sound in areas where privacy cannot be expected. He ruled that a police officer on a traffic stop has no expectation of privacy.' A happy day for freedom-loving Marylanders and Americans in general."