Police take Revenge on supporters of Woman arrested for Videotaping Police

[SG-17]

Some of you may have already heard about this, but it gets worse.

NEW YORK -- In May, the Rochester Police Department arrested a woman on a charge of obstructing governmental administration after she videotaped several officers' search of a man's car. The charge is a criminal misdemeanor.
The only problem? Videotaping a police officer in public view is perfectly legal in New York state -- and the woman was in her own front yard. The arrest report of the incident also contains an apparent discrepancy from what is seen in the woman's own video.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/...ed-videotaping-police-rochester_n_882122.html

Link to video.


Here is the terrifying part.


Link to video.
For those that can't take 90 seconds and watch the video the Police are ticketing the supporters of the woman for having their cars parked more than a foot away from the curb. That ordinance isn't enforced, anywhere at anytime except for after the police are put into a bad light because they arrested someone who was legally filming their actions on her own property.

So what do you think? Are the police right in this action? What does this kind of action make you think about police?




Honestly, the fact that the police were taking revenge for this is horrifying at best. They should all be reprimanded and fired for doing that. It completely shakes my faith in authority that actions like this are done.

 

[emzie]

To be fair, it annoys the hell out of me when people don't park close to the curb.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

Please don't question the police.

 

[JohnRM]

It all seems very childish, to me, and a abuse of power.

 

[Skwink]

To be fair, it annoys the hell out of me when people don't park close to the curb.

I hate it when people park on the curb.

 

[EnglishCrusader]

Please don't question the police.

This.

 

[LucyDuke]

Damn. I guess I'm old-fashioned to want to understand an OP without having to watch a video, huh?

 

[Holycannoli]

So there was a metting going on in support of this woman, and the police come and ticket them for the most minor of infractions in retaliation?

Bad. Well, good if you want to make the community hate you.

I want to see their official response to this video.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Its New York, is anyone really surprised?

BTW: This is really dumb...

 

[Mr. Dictator]

This.

I don't understand all of the chains we put on our law enforcement. Criminals are basically domestic terrorists, as crime in an area can very much scare citizens.

As such, there's no way to win against them if we're too concerned about politically correct rulebook throwing. Personally, I see the woman videotaping as setting herself up in opposition to the crusading officers who she should be grateful for.

 

[GhostWriter16]

I'm going to assume the post above me is being sarcastic or ironic?

 

[emzie]

So there was a metting going on in support of this woman, and the police come and ticket them for the most minor of infractions in retaliation?

Bad. Well, good if you want to make the community hate you.

I want to see their official response to this video.

It's both petty and, for lack of a better description, unbecoming of a public official.

 

[Xanikk999]

Damn. I guess I'm old-fashioned to want to understand an OP without having to watch a video, huh?

You're not alone. I hate having to watch video's to understand the OP.

Personally I find it a good idea to just be respectful when dealing with the police. It will save you a ton of trouble.

 

[Holycannoli]

Police need to be respectful right back. You don't go out ticketing supporters of this woman because they parked farther from the curb than allowed.

There will be official backlash against this move. Technically the police are doing nothing wrong, but is there a history of them regularly ticketing vehicles parked more than 12 inches from the curb?

 

[Silurian]

There was no room in the road for other vehicles to pass.

 

[Syterion]

The original arrest is more concerning to me. The second video is officers being petty. The first video is scary because there is no reason or rule that you must obey police implicitly and the cop basically said that was why she was being arrested. It is kind of scary how little the cop seems to know about his own power.

Anyone who saw the video wouldn't say "be respectful to the police." (At least wouldn't say it genuinely) That woman had incredible patience with that buffoon.

 

[FriendlyFire]

BTW: This is really dumb...

Government Revenue raising probably.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

I wouldn't go into a panic by seeing this video. But it is very weird to see an officer feel threaten by a girl with a video camera filming the scene in her own front yard.

Terrifying is definitely what I am feeling from this video.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

Please don't question the police.

Some people just are not fearful. We would be better off if we had more citizens less fearful of our authorities than willfully submitting to them out of cowardice.

.... just saying, Mr. Dictator.

 

[JohnRM]

I would like to note that despite the fact that the cars were parked more than twelve inches frpm the curb, the reaspn for enforcement of this code, in this instance constitutes harassment by the officers in question. If it is fought in court, the defendent will most likely win, based on what I've seen here.