Washington man threatens to sue Spokane police over this embarrassing video

[snooper2]

Um, sorry but it works both ways drunk dude- No expectation of privacy in public. We want to film the police and publish, film of you can be published too. Shame on the ACLU on this one...

Published on Aug 14, 2016
Cory Counts was drunk and confrontational with police, which landed him in jail, but now he is threatening to sue police because they released the video of his arrest.

And the ACLU is backing him...


READ STORY HERE: https://photographyisnotacrime.com/20...

[MADem]

1. I think the ACLU is wrong on this one, too. He's not in his living room,

he's on a street paid for by taxpayers. And is that a camera phone in his drunk little hand...?

[grubbs]

2. See?

That is how you deal with an unruly person. Kudos to the cop. Now we just have to get all cops to treat all people this way.

[WillowTree]

3. What a doofus!

My guess is that his suit is going nowhere.

[brush]

4. Quite some patience shown by the officer, but talk about white privilege . . .

If that had been a black or Latino, or Muslim, the latest bogeymen, I doubt that kind of patience would have been shown.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

8. I've long wondered if the gun would have been unholstered in this...

... incident if the man receiving the ticket was a PoC.

By the way, I'm very white and I don't think the cops around here would be that tolerant of me behaving that way! They seem equally paranoid about everyone here, and I don't blame them being cautious.

I also saw recent instructions from a black Georgia Tech professor for how black people needed to interact with police. Sad music played in the background.

However, it wasn't really any different from the instructions that my Dad gave me when I was a teenager -- e.g., keep your hands where they can see them at all times, etc.

EDIT: The major difference between the instructions of the professor and my father was that the professor said black people should just look straight ahead and say as little as possible. My Dad told me to look at them and act friendly even if I thought the ticket was bogus.

[Historic NY]

18. Classic....

it used to used for training purposes.....

[cwydro]

5. What an idiot.

I hope it goes viral lol.

[wcast]

6. Your link doesn't point to the story in the video.

But I think there is a point to be made. Police are acting in an official position and, as in other professions, should be held to a higher standard. Would we approve of other professions posting videos of their interaction with the public? Teachers, health care and mental health workers, lawyers and court officials?

The story linked to is about how Houston police are afraid that the continued filming of police will increase negative encounters and may encourage others to shoot police. The only thing filming police does is show others outside of the poor and minority communities what's going on, because these poor and minority communities already know the score.

Most of America does not believe accounts given by these other communities, and videos by private citizens are what is needed to increase awareness.

[skypilot]

17. You have to scroll down quite a bit...

...to find the story referred to in the OP.

[LWolf]

7. I can certainly see

why he wouldn't want this video made public; it makes him look like an ass, as well as offering up plenty of evidence that he was trying to provoke an incident that he could film.

As far as the rest, I'm on the fence. Personally, I favor privacy more than the average citizen does. I know, for example, that I don't want anyone taking my picture without my express permission in advance, let alone publishing it.

And yes, I'm aware of the rest of the "picture," so to speak.

[WillowTree]

25. Nobody made him look like an ass. He was quite capable of doing that all by himself.

[LisaM]

26. I agree with you.

I worry that all my purchases are being tracked if I don't pay in cash! I don't even buy anything that would be embarrassing, but I just dislike the concept. I got a phone call once from my grocery store over some frozen peas I'd bought three months earlier (salmonella warning). My takeaway was that they are archiving what I buy for months, not that they were being helpful.

[LWolf]

39. It's creepy.

I know it's happening everywhere, and that I don't even see it going on. It just creeps me out.

[kestrel91316]

9. If he is under arrest for presumably committing some crime, that video is

criminal evidence and should not be published. It theoretically taints a prospective jury pool.

And yes, there is the public shaming aspect but I don't think that holds legal water.

I side with the ACLU.

[Orrex]

11. Out of curiosity...

What's your opinion of police dash-cam footage released following an alleged assault/shooting by a cop? These are typically released in response to massive public outcry, but are these not also prejudicial?

[kestrel91316]

12. If the police officer(s) in question are under arrest for a crime and there is video of said crime,

then yes, it's prejudicial.

But they never are. They are rarely prosecuted for their misdeeds.

[Orrex]

13. What if I had witnessed this interaction between the cop and the citizen?

Am I barred from, say, speaking to the press or posting on Facebook about it?

[kestrel91316]

16. Of course not. Where on earth would you get that idea? But those comments/video

could be seen by some as prejudicial.

I'm not sure why you're giving me the third degree about this. I don't make policy. Nothing in this world is black and white. It's ALL shades of gray. And I am entitled to my opinion.

[Orrex]

20. Easy there, fireball.

You have a remarkably low threshold for "the third degree." Faced with two questions you immediately invoke the "I'm entltled to my opinion" mantra, as if anyone has suggested otherwise.

I'm asking because I disagree with you (and with the ACLU), and I'm trying to understand your (apparently quite fragile) opinion.

In previous cases of police abuse, DU has argued that dash- and body-cam footage is public property and should therefore be released to the public. I frankly don't see how this is different, if indeed it is different.

If the episode had occurred in front of news cameras and the network chose to air it, how would that be different?


You are indeed entitled to your opinion. Since you have expressed your opinion in an open forum, I am entitled to respond to that opinion.

[TeamPooka]

23. Your questions come across as mildly badgering and finally insulting actually.

Just my opinion.

[Orrex]

24. I'LL BASH YOU GOD DAMMIT!!!!!!!1!!!!!

Well, maybe I could work on my tone...

[Dr. Strange]

37. There's a "1" amongst all of you exclamation points.

Your point is invalid.

[Orrex]

40. I'LL BASH YOU NEXT111111!11

[Eleanors38]

34. I agree as well.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

35. You commented on a discussion board???

[Cal33]

19. There are many lawyers working for the ACLU. They ought to know what they are doing, as far

as the law is concerned.

[Orrex]

21. Hell, why bother with the courts at all, then?

The ACLU's lawyers know what they're doing, so why not let them run things?

[Cal33]

36. The ACLU ought to know what is allowed to be done, and what is not..

[Orrex]

10. #streisand

[Initech]

14. I've been drunk in public lots of times...

If you see cops, just keep walking.

[Jim__]

15. The Norwegian police confront a drunk.

[center]

[/center]

If I am ever in that condition and confront the police, I'd prefer to confront the Norwegian police rather than the Washington police.

[WillowTree]

32. I love the way that whomever was doing the translations.......

.......also found it necessary to "translate" the cops' laughter..........."HA HA". That was hilarious all by itself. I never realized that my grandparents were laughing in Norske before. Sounded like English laughter to me.

HA HA!!

[jcgoldie]

22. What an idiot.

Learn to handle your booze or don't get sauced in public.

[citood]

27. I've often wondered about the TV show 'COPS'

Often they end up inside a private home, and they keep filming. Never understood how they were able to do that.

This is on a public street, of course...but, something about its use on social media as an 'example' strikes me as wrong. Yes the public should have access to it, but it should be portrayed as informational, not edited to get a point across, without the man's consent.

[Orrex]

28. Years ago, prior to the explosion of social media

State College PA had an Idiocy Riot in which a bunch of stupid drunk assholes acted like stupid drunk assholes and caused a lot of destruction downtown.

In the days following the event, police posted video and stills on their website in hope of identifying some of the perpetrators. At least several individuals were indeed identified and were (IIRC) subsequently prosecuted.

I wonder what the ACLU would say about that practice; might they consider footage of Johnny Asshole smashing a flaming car with a baseball bat to be prejudicial?

[citood]

30. Interesting

While I can't remember the exact situation, fairly recently law enforcement put out still shots of people involved in a riot, soliciting the public's help. And, I remember the same with the Boston marathon bombers. That seems like a common police tactic - and justified.

My only problem with this case is the police didn't post "Here is a record of our interaction with a suspect, for the public record". Rather, they posted "Hey, see how patient we are when we deal with people...in this edited video".

I see a difference. The first case fulfills their obligation to keep the public informed. The second is more of a public relations ploy, at this man's expense. I'd be ok with it (I think), if they had blurred his face and not revealed his identity.

[Orrex]

31. Ah--that's an interesting interpretation that I hadn't considered.

So it's not that they're sharing the video per se, but rather that they're using it to portray themselves in a non-objective light.

Ok, I can see how that's a problem.

[Orrex]

33. Here's an early write-up of the aforementioned Idiocy Riot

Idiocy.

PSU has had a bunch of equally stupid riots since then, but IIRC this was the only one that happened during my decade in that town.

[MohRokTah]

38. Filmed in public. No case against the police.

In fact, I'd like to see the cops release more footage like this. It's FUCKING HILARIOUS!

[DawgHouse]

41. I agree with the ACLU on this.

If they are prosecuting him for public intoxication, it can be used as evidence. But posting it on FB is not the same and seems to be meant to shame him. JMHO

[lumberjack_jeff]

42. Stupid: it's a hell of a drug.

The guy boasts about a dozen times that the interaction is being recorded. It certainly doesn't sound like he has an expectation... or even a desire... for privacy.

He *should be* ashamed.

And the cop needs a pat on the back.

He probably wrote himself a note earlier in the day.