Gordon Graham
Category: Law Enforcement
Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for all my law enforcement friends. And it deals with people who record law enforcement activity and their rights.
These folks go by names like “cop watchers” or “First Amendment Auditors.” But their mission is the same: Recording officers doing their jobs. They may be looking for sound bites and inflammatory video to generate likes and clicks online. Or maybe they’re looking to further some type of agenda or narrative. But we can’t assume that all “cop watchers” have bad intentions.
Do your job and do it right, just like you do when no one is watching or recording.
I can remember a time when it was rare for a camera to show up on a law enforcement scene. Or when police officers were the only people who even carried cameras. But, as you know, those days are long gone. Now, nearly everyone has a cellphone with a camera.
It’s important to remember that people generally have the right to record you. If a person is in a public place, like a sidewalk, public building, or other space open to the public, they generally have a right to be there. In these locations, they also likely have the right to record you, and typically cannot be arrested for doing so. But they do not have the right to interfere with what you’re doing or endanger your or anyone else’s safety.
Here’s my recommendation. Do your job and do it right, just like you do when no one is watching or recording. Conduct yourself in line with your training, your policies, and state and federal laws. The observers may lose interest. Do your best to ignore them but don’t jeopardize safety to accommodate their recording.
It’s also a good idea to brush up on your agency policy requirements and related case law. And don’t forget to educate the public about these matters each time you have the opportunity.
And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Until next time, Gordon Graham, signing off.
