Is It Still Illegal to Record the Police In Maryland (attorney, DMV)

[DaveinMtAiry]

I know at one time MD was one of 3 state where it was.. But I don't know if that is still the case. I sure hope not, what are they afraid of if they are doing nothing wrong? I thought the whole idea of body cameras was to get the truth.

[papichulo2]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

I know at one time MD was one of 3 state where it was.. But I don't know if that is still the case. I sure hope not, what are they afraid of if they are doing nothing wrong? I thought the whole idea of body cameras was to get the truth.

Sounds like a waste of time to record cops. like who cares? all they can do is take it for evidence something goes sideways lol

since there have been lot of weird questions in the DMV forum.. Im asking one!

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by papichulo2

Sounds like a waste of time to record cops. like who cares? all they can do is take it for evidence something goes sideways lol

since there have been lot of weird questions in the DMV forum.. Im asking one!

Who cares? Just a hunch but maybe the family of the man in South Carolina who was shot in the back while running away. It resulted in a murder charge against the officer, without the recording the case would have been based on the officer's (false) report. The video exposed the lie, just as videos all over the country are doing.

[Richard Martin]

It never was illegal. The wiretapping law that Andy Graber was charged with was later declared unconstitutional and stands today as the benchmark in these types of cases.

From Wikipedia:

On July 7, 2010, the Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler released an opinion advising a state legislator that, contrary to the claims of Harford County State’s Attorney Joseph Cassilly, a traffic stop is not an instance where a police officer can claim a reasonable expectation of privacy.[5]
On September 27, 2010, criminal charges against Graber were dropped.[6] The court threw out the charge of "recording illegal activity" on the grounds that the law was unconstitutional, noting that "the video taping of public events is protected under the First Amendment."[6] The judge ruled that Maryland's wire tap law does not prohibit recording of voice or sound in areas where privacy cannot be expected and that a police officer on a traffic stop has no legal expectation of privacy.[6] Overall, Harford County Circuit Court Judge Emory A Plitt Jr. dismissed four of the seven charges filed against Anthony Graber, leaving only traffic code violations. [7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Graber

[boreatwork]

Some lady just won $200,000 for recording the police beating down a guy and destroying her phone. Im going to be recording everything.

[papichulo2]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Who cares? Just a hunch but maybe the family of the man in South Carolina who was shot in the back while running away. It resulted in a murder charge against the officer, without the recording the case would have been based on the officer's (false) report. The video exposed the lie, just as videos all over the country are doing.

yah well I'm not getting shot by cops or even have any dealings with them really. so yah I'm hip.

if i get pulled over for speeding. I'm not wasting my time taping the cop for attention! I'm driving off!!

[DeanGuitarist]

Well if you comply and treat the cops how you want to be treated, with respect I'm sure, then you shouldn't have to worry about recording the police. And if you do record, it's freedom of the press. So I've heard. But if you antagonize the police and then start recording their actions, shame on you. Why don't you record yourself antagonizing the officer(s) and show why the cops are "harassing" you.

[DaveinMtAiry]

What in the world is up with these responses? I certainly was not talking about recording the police as they confronted me and I sure wasn't talking about antagonizing the police, then recording their reaction. I totally believe that you increase your odds considerably if you treat the officer with respect and that's what I've always done. As an old white guy I really don't have to worry too much about being treated fairly.


As my example clearly showed I was talking about recording officers as they confronted others. I don't plan on it happened, since it's never happened before in my 58 years, but if I did come across something I'd like to know if I could record without legal recourse. That ruling above was from 2010, I thought I had read something more recent about Maryland being only one of 3 states where it was illegal. It wasn't clear in my search which is why I came here for help, not a lecture on treating officers with respect because I got that already.

[P47P47]

My understanding is that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that anything that can be seen or heard from a point of public access is subject to being recorded.

No expectation of privacy in public.

[DeanGuitarist]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

What in the world is up with these responses? I certainly was not talking about recording the police as they confronted me and I sure wasn't talking about antagonizing the police, then recording their reaction. I totally believe that you increase your odds considerably if you treat the officer with respect and that's what I've always done. As an old white guy I really don't have to worry too much about being treated fairly.


As my example clearly showed I was talking about recording officers as they confronted others. I don't plan on it happened, since it's never happened before in my 58 years, but if I did come across something I'd like to know if I could record without legal recourse. That ruling above was from 2010, I thought I had read something more recent about Maryland being only one of 3 states where it was illegal. It wasn't clear in my search which is why I came here for help, not a lecture on treating officers with respect because I got that already.

Well you should have explained your post more in your first post. I was merely giving advice, well, my 2¢. Good day to you, sir.