ACLU sues over Arizona law limiting filming of police

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: AP

PHOENIX (AP) — A controversial Arizona law restricting how the public can film police faced its first legal challenge Tuesday with a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The group's Arizona chapter, joined by several Arizona news organizations, filed a petition in U.S. District Court. They argue the law criminalizes First Amendment freedoms.

“This law is a violation of a vital constitutional right and will severely thwart attempts to build police accountability. It must be struck down before it creates irreparable community harm,” the ACLU wrote in a statement on its blog.

In the complaint, the group contends the law not only has “blatant constitutional issues” but is too ambiguous in some parts. They are seeking an injunction barring law enforcement and others from enforcing the law.



Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/aclu-sues-over-arizona-law-180038254.html

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. It will go to the SC and they will illegally say it is constitutional.

They will violate the Constitution, again.

[AZLD4Candidate]

2. Need to reinforce and codify the police state with court decisions and not law

After all, the prison industrial complex needs bodies to maintain its profits.

[duhneece]

7. Isn't that how 1930's Germany became successful? nt

[live love laugh]

8. Remember Bush-era Free Speech Zones?

This is another chip away from first amendment rights.

[msongs]

3. sorry judge, I was fliming the victim but the police photo bombed the shot nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. This law should be found to be unconstitutional

[GregariousGroundhog]

5. The state has a compelling interest to protect police officers interference by the general public

I suspect the courts will rule that eight feet (a little less than half the length of an average sedan) adequately balances the rights of the public against the interests of the police officer. As for the ambiguity the ACLU cites, I don't know enough about their arguments or the law to comment on that.

[kaotikross]

6. The solution is

That every time AZ law enforcement posts a feel good story and pictures with cops on social media, demand arrests.

[robbob]

9. The law states you have to keep 8 feet or further away

if an officer is detaining, arresting, or questioning someone. That really doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. If you are a police officer trying to subdue a violent suspect do you really want people coming in for close up shots they can post on their instagram feed? Every cell phone today has a camera that can zoom in quite nicely from 10-15 feet away. This seems to me like a common sense law that protects the safety of everyone involved.

Have I missed something about the wording of this law?

[machoneman]

10. With a zoom, it would clearly show how black tape is covering up their badge number.

[bluestarone]

11. I look at it this way.

You give them 8 feet today, it will be 16 foot tomorrow! Then 32 feet in the future! NO WAY give them 8 feet!

[prodigitalson]

13. slippery slope fallacy. nt

[jmowreader]

12. Watch some "news now" YT videos and you'll support this law

There’s this big fad on YouTube of people walking up to the cops in the middle of traffic stops and jamming cameras in the officers’ faces. They also like to walk up to patrol cars and film the displays of the car computers, go into police stations and try to break into secure areas, and post videos of cops’ personal car license plates.

The law says you have to stand at least eight feet from the police while you are filming. I support the law because it balances the right of the public to film with the right of the cops to not have to divide their attention between their work and these guys out there farming clicks and views.

If the law said “no one can film the police at work,” I’d be the first one to say it needs to be overturned. This law doesn’t do that.

[prodigitalson]

14. A lot are right wing open carry militia types with(high caliber/high capacity rifles)

they stand around police stations and other government buildings doing 2nd amendment 'auditing." they are all over youtube,