Posted by Brad on October 11, 2007 at 21:43:42:
In Reply to: MORE: Legal Issues - Video Taping at Nude Beaches posted by naked and free, on miamibeach on October 02, 2007 at 09:51:02:
If cops can take your film without cause, can they also take the camera? How about taking all your photography equipment...and your Ipod because they claim you have illegal music on it? Can they also take the money from your wallet because they want to see if it's counterfeit. How about taking your car keys and driving off in your new Mercedes because you ran a red light?
The reality is that most cops don't have any more knowledge about such special areas of the law as do you or I. Unfortunately, their position of power makes them feel that they have the authority to determine when violations are occurring.
For instance, a cop that accuses someone of "stalking" because they are videotaping strangers in public is either grossly ignorant of the law or trying to intimidate you (or both) - he takes that position for no other reason than he can, and he knows it because he's gotten away with it. But stalking requires previous repeated activities focused on a single person. And if a cop wrongfully confiscates personal property, it may be cause for a filing an action against him.
If such happened, I would politely inform him that I what he is doing is wrongfully taking personal property, and he has no right to do that. If he says it's "evidence", then you can correctly ask him for a subpoena. If he says charges will be filed, then I'd say "you can do that, but a crime must have taken place first, so please tell me what crime has taken place".
Cops can confiscate stolen contraband, drugs, funny money, fake IDs, knives & guns and other illegal items. But they can't go around stealing your legal personal property.
With that said, cops routinely make up stories. Yes, many, many, many cops lie as standard operating procedure. If they steal your property or beat you up, rest assured when they file their report you will be amazed at all the illegal things he will state he witnessed you doing in his report...bet on it! I've seen it personally a number of times, I even watched two cops beat up a handcuffed guy in their back seat for simply complaining about how tight the cuffs were.
Don't think it won't happen to you.
Here's why you never get a cop angry (and also why cops hate people with video cameras). The following show how cops will lie and beat you up knowing there's nothing you can do about it because their department will also abuse you if you attempt to report it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJitpvE3Jq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_gFJJXLv28
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibSwITK4jjQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTos7N4gSM&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vk03yrIBl0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYzKlmHwbqg&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaHyuWgir8U&mode=related&search=
By the way, here's why YouTube is used to report complaints against cops as opposed to doing it through the police department:
http://www.mojoflix.com/Video/Police-Abuse-Man-Investigating-Police-Abuse.html
: Well i think i decided what to do, I will write directly to my REPS in D.C. and tallahassee and see what they have to say about what someone that is suppose to be protecting my civil rights is telling me what the law is. this could get very interesting! thru the yrs I have spoke out demanding my rights and so far I have gotten some positive results, so lets see where this goes.
: Maybe they should post signs that "if you go topless and happen to be female, you may very well be video'd." or something to that effect, not unlike the signs at haulover that state, " you may see naked humans after this point".
: oh well, live and let live, and its all good I say.