And, of course, if you are taking their pictures, the police don't have the right to smash your cell phone, take your cell phone, lock you in a cell for a few hours (or more), hit you over the head, gas you, or knock you down and stomp on you.
And I'm sure that if that just happens to occur during the heat of a "security situation" or "public disturbance," they'll eventually issue an apology of some sort at a press conference.
(h/t +Andreas Schou)
Reshared post from +Phoebe Gleeson
Citizens have the right to take pictures of anything in plain view in a public space, including police officers and federal buildings. Police can not confiscate, demand to view, or delete digital photos.
Any American Can Take Any Police Officer’s Photo
A Washington Post reporter was arrested outside of St. Louis, Missouri, on Wednesday evening after video-recording law-enforcement officials. He was well within his rights—and would have been even if he weren’t a journalist.
There are lots of things the police can't do legally that they do anyway. If you're a victim of those shenanigans, you just have to hope that you're alive and well enough afterward to take them to court.
+David Newman Exactly.