Photography is not a crime.

http://www.photographyisnotacrime.com/2013/04/09/san-diego-police-attack-and-arrest-man-video-recording-them-claiming-phone-could-be-a-weapon/


Man videotapes cop writing a ticket, won't stop filming when told to stop (It is NOT a crime), has phone slapped out of his hand, thrown to the ground hard enough to where a laceration required an ambulance, spends night in Jail. While I don't think it is a good idea to be in-yo-face like this with a cop, the cop had no right to do what he did.

Since the Rodney King taping many years ago, nationwide, the cops bully the populace like this.

Quote :

San Diego police slapped a cell phone camera out of a man’s hands Saturday, claiming it could be a weapon, before pouncing on him and handcuffing him, lacerating his chin in the process.

Adam Pringle ended up jailed overnight on charges of obstruction because he refused to hand the phone over when the cop ordered him to do so.

But it’s already been established by numerous court cases as well as the U.S. Department of Justice that police do not have the right to take your camera unless it is being used in a commission of a crime.

In this case, Pringle’s only crime was smoking a cigarette on a Mission Beach boardwalk, a violation for which he was already getting cited.

“It is against the law to smoke cigarettes on the boardwalk, so I admit I was breaking the law,” Pringle said in a telephone interview with Photography is Not a Crime Tuesday.

The incident took place at 7 p.m. Saturday evening as Pringle and two buddies were walking on the boardwalk and came across two cops on bicycles who stopped them and started writing Pringle a citation.

Pringle pulled out his Samsung Galaxy smartphone and began recording, which as you can see below, can easily be confused for a weapon – if you find yourself starring in a futuristic science fiction drama.

It all seemed pretty civil until the cop writing the citation told him to stop recording, which Pringle refused to do.

“Phones can be converted into weapons …. look it up online,” the cop told him.

Last month, a South Florida cop confiscated a man’s phone citing the same reason, so maybe this is a new trend.

When Pringle tried to talk sense into the cop, the cop slapped the phone out of his hand where it fell onto the boardwalk and broke apart.

The other cop then pounced on him, slamming him down on the boardwalk where he ended up with a laceration on his chin.

“Blood was everywhere,” Pringle said. “I was laying on my stomach and he had one knee on my back and the other knee on the side of my face.

“They kept telling me ‘to calm down,’ that ‘you’re making this worse for yourself,’ that ‘you have no right to record us.’”

They hauled him up and marched him to the patrol car, telling his two friends that they would be arrested if they chose to follow.

His friends picked up his phone, which was damaged but not to the point where it was unsable, which is why the video survived.

Once out of sight, the officer who tackled him elbowed him to the face.

Because he had several wounds on his body, including his knees, hands and face, an ambulance was called.

An internal affairs officer, Lt. Misty Cedrun, was also called, who spoke to him in the back of the ambulance, but who didn’t seem to think the officers did anything wrong because she allowed the two officers to transport him to jail, even though he told her he fear them.

Unfortunately, Pringle was not provided with their names and it’s difficult to make out the cop’s nametag in the video.

He wasn’t released from jail until 4 a.m. His first hearing will be on May 23 where he hopes to have obtained an attorney. He said he has reached out to the ACLU but hasn’t heard back.

However, this incident is still very fresh and this is a case that is ripe for them.

Pringle said he is an Eagle Scout who is actively involved in his community. He doesn’t mean to be a troublemaker but he is just not afraid to stand up for his rights.

And that obviously makes him a criminal in the eyes of the law.

But because the video survived the assault, we are able to see whom the real criminals are in this matter.

UPDATE: Pringle’s friend continued video recording after he was led away and the cop, whose name is M. Reinhold, didn’t have a problem with that.

In the video below, Reinhold tells his friend that they are trained by the police department to suspect that cell phones can be converted into guns.

He also said that “officer safety” trumps the Constitution, meaning they can claim they are fear for their lives while they throw you in jail for any lame excuse.

Such bullshit but that’s the arrogance of these police officers.

If you would like to let San Diego know how you feel, e-mail San Diego Mayor BobFilner@sandiego.gov

I see both sides. I wouldn't want somebody recording my surgeon when hew's doing surgery without his permission. I wouldn't want anyone recording me when I'm at an ATM getting money. I wouldn't want somebody recording me eating or going to the bathroom. There are times that it's OK and other's when it's not acceptable. If I told you not to record me and you kept going, I would slap it out of your hand also.....
Would you want someone recording you and your mate argueing or you disciplining your children??

If it is of a government-funded employee on public property... it is legal

There is a huge difference.

On private property, videotaping against the wishes of the owner or proprietor of a business, the legality of videotaping an incident is questionable... most likely illegal.

Now, if I am on my own private property videotaping something going on in the public right-of-way, that should be legal.

If I am beating my kids on public property or arguing with my wife on public property, I would not fault someone from recording my stupidity.

Jake92 wrote:

I see both sides. I wouldn't want somebody recording my surgeon when hew's doing surgery without his permission. I wouldn't want anyone recording me when I'm at an ATM getting money. I wouldn't want somebody recording me eating or going to the bathroom. There are times that it's OK and other's when it's not acceptable. If I told you not to record me and you kept going, I would slap it out of your hand also.....
Would you want someone recording you and your mate argueing or you disciplining your children??

On private property, the property owner or business owner gets to make the rules.

The surgeon, and the hospital have the right to prohibit you from videotaping him or her on hospital grounds.

The bank has the right to prohibit you from videotaping customers.

Videotaping in a bathroom, you are a pervert and probably a sexual offender.

In these cases, I do not condone videotaping.

Jake, the question here is not videotaping a surgeon, someone entering PINs at a bank, going to the restroom, etc. It is of a public servant conducting his duties on public property. He is fair game... totally legal to videotape him... as long as you do not obstruct the deputy in the performance of his duties.

The photographer was stupid and a bit arrogant, but those are not crimes.

I think he deserved it for being an arrogant punk.. If a cop asks me to stop doing something, I stop doing it immediately legal or illegal.. I also think the cops privacy was being invaded.. He has the same rights as anybody else.. I never heard the kid ask permissaion to film it and the cop did ask him to stop.

Jake92 wrote:

I think he deserved it for being an arrogant punk.. If a cop asks me not to stop doing something, I stop doing it immediately legal or illegal..

I cannot argue about the kid's attitude, but that should NEVER justify a beatdown by a public servant.

This is not a police state, where the police can do whatever they want.

I would put the phone away when told to put it down...

I agree the cop was wrong for beating the kid.. I think the kid was just out looking for trouble and decided to push his attitude. Just because something is legal does not make it right.. The cop should have also charged him with resisting arrest and anything else he could have charged him with that would have stuck.

Eric wrote:

Jake92 wrote:

I think he deserved it for being an arrogant punk.. If a cop asks me not to stop doing something, I stop doing it immediately legal or illegal..

I cannot argue about the kid's attitude, but that should NEVER justify a beatdown by a public servant.

This is not a police state, where the police can do whatever they want.

I would put the phone away when told to put it down...

The kid was being dumb, that we have established. But being dumb is not a crime, and the officer treated him like he was a criminal... arrested him, in fact. Friends of mine were arrested for filming county sheriff's deputies who pepper sprayed about 30 kids who were involved in civil disobedience... they were all chained to a bunch of heavy equipment and were protesting logging of Headwaters Forest. All the kids who were filming & taking pictures of the SO pepper spraying the kids that were chained to the heavy equipment were arrested.

Just for the record, while some of the kids (both the ones filming and the ones protesting) were my friends, I was not too happy about their protests because my family have been loggers for several generations and they were messing with people's equipment. But I was also not too happy about the Headwaters Forest being logged... it's oldgrowth redwood, and the logging plan sucked. But the way the SO handled the situation (both pepper spraying the kids who were locked to the equipment and arresting the kids who filmed them do so) was out of line, and that was later proven out in court.

This San Diego cop was wrong and is going to find himself in hot water.

I e-mailed a short note to the mayor and got this response from him.


Dear Eric:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent incident involving Adam Pringle and the San Diego Police Department.

It is the policy of the San Diego Police Department that citizens are allowed to video tape officers in the performance of their duties. I am in touch with the Police Chief, and the San Diego Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit is investigating the situation.

I appreciate your advocacy on this important issue.

Sincerely,

BOB FILNER

Ricey, the logging issue brings out the worst of some people on both sides of the issue. Some logging protesters "spike" trees with huge nails that do incredible damage to chain saws or milling machines.

Protesters get worked up for a "good cause", but do so in an impetuous manner, destroying the logging equipment of decent, hard-working loggers.

Loggers then want to retaliate and "bust some heads". Both sides take the law into their own hands. Everybody has "blood on their hands" so to speak.

We all like nice redwood decks (or whatever), but that wood has to come from somewhere. Question: Can Redwood be grown and be harvested sustainably?

Eric wrote:

Ricey, the logging issue brings out the worst of some people on both sides of the issue. Some logging protesters "spike" trees with huge nails that do incredible damage to chain saws or milling machines.

Protesters get worked up for a "good cause", but do so in an impetuous manner, destroying the logging equipment of decent, hard-working loggers.

Loggers then want to retaliate and "bust some heads". Both sides take the law into their own hands. Everybody has "blood on their hands" so to speak.

We all like nice redwood decks (or whatever), but that wood has to come from somewhere. Question: Can Redwood be grown and be harvested sustainably?

That's why I was not happy about the protest, E. Spiking trees can easily get a man killed, as can a lot of the other stunts they pull. And my girlfriend (a protester) was purposefully run over by a logging truck... thankfully she survived, but only barely. You could not be more correct that both sides have blood on their hands.

Yes, redwood can absolutely be grown and harvested sustainably. The sticking point is **old growth** redwood. That's what everyone wants and fights over.