by: Chenelle Covin
You got that right. You can be charged, prosecuted, and land yourself in jail for almost 16 years for videotaping a police officer. This is what Anthony Graber is facing after posting a video of a plainclothes state trooper cutting him off and drawing a gun during a traffic stop on a Maryland highway.
In early March Graber broke the law by racing his motorcycle, popping wheelies, and roaring past cars down Interstate I95 in Maryland. But it’s not the daring stunt Graber got in trouble for. It’s when Graber posted the video recorded from his helmet’s camera on youtube, showing a plainclothes officer cutting him off and drawing a gun on him.
His parent’s house was raided, with police confiscating cameras, computers, and external hard drives. He was charged and indicted for for allegedly violating state wiretap laws by recording the trooper without his consent.
Is this possible? Well according to ABC News, arrests such as Graber’s are becoming common. Videos of police misconduct are becoming fiery items over the Internet, especially Youtube. What kind of message are the police trying to send? “Don’t criticize our work even if we are beating the hell out of someone and violating their rights”? “Put the camera away, or we’ll put you away for 16 years” I’m just saying! Does this sound right? A police officer can record you from their dashboard, but you cannot record a police officer without consent? They can wiretap your phone and computer, but we can’t videotape their conduct? This really refutes “freedom of speech”, your civil rights, and rights as an American citizen. Especially an American citizen who happens to pay police officers salaries through your hard earned money.
If you haven’t realized we are in the age of technology. You already have people literally fearful of those who are supposed to “protect and serve”. Videotaping in my opinion is the most effective way to protect you as a citizen against misconduct by a police officer. Sounds like another reason to lock you up and prosecute you to make the “quotas look good”. As St. Austine, says “an unjust law is no law at all”. This sounds pretty unjust to me.
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