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Personally, I think there are already too many laws on the books but this doesn't sound that unreasonable. Far enough away to not get in the way of possibly dangerous “law enforcement activity”, and close enough to get any details, especially with a zoom lens.. Reminds me of the movie Nigh-stalker where Jake Gyllenhaal's character is so close to the scene that he interferes with first respondors.
"The legislation would require people to be at least 20 feet away while recording “law enforcement activity” or farther if officers decide that’s needed. Recording inside private buildings such as homes would be allowed from “an adjacent room or area” unless an officer objects.
Violations would be petty offenses or, if a warning is given, misdemeanors carrying up to 30 days in jail"
The title is misleading.
It criminalizes recording within 20 feet, which is an extremely close distance. (Though if you have seen an arrest lately, officers routinely have cameras put within inches of their faces or between them and the person they are arresting to block their vision.) That said, it still will not pass the courts. Police will continue to use obstruction charges in extreme circumstances like the ones I described and that will be it.
The title misrepresents the actual bill. What the bill says is that people photographing the arrest not be closer than 20'. I think that's very reasonable. If you think about it, people crowding into an arrest situation to film it are in fact interfering. You need to keep people clear of the scene and let the cop do his work without random people crowding into his personal space.
The title misrepresents the actual bill. What the bill says is that people photographing the arrest not be closer than 20'. I think that's very reasonable. If you think about it, people crowding into an arrest situation to film it are in fact interfering. You need to keep people clear of the scene and let the cop do his work without random people crowding into his personal space.
So they can get closer than 20' when they're not filming?
I'm sure the cops will break out a tape and measure
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