Rochester, NY: Police Arrest Woman for Videotaping Them
by With more and more stories of such actions by police, should this issue be taken to higher courts, or even Congress? Such issues as "contempt of cop" are examined in this brief discussion on today’s law enforcement.
To gain a greater understanding of the issues at hand, I’ve posted here a couple of links to a video and article related to this story. They are both reputable sites, and I encourage all readers to at the very least skim them to gain an overview of the situations.
Now, to begin, I have every respect for law enforcement officers and the law enforcement community. My father was a former state policeman, my uncle, a former corrections officer, and a good friend of mine worked for a local law enforcement agency, before recently retiring. It is, in fact, because of this respect for the law, and the officers who enforce it, that I am writing this article. I feel that this is an important issue that needs to be discussed and resolved before it gets too far out of hand.
Now, some background for those who didn’t want to visit the links. On May 12, 2011, Emily Good of Rochester, NY was arrested and charged with Obstructing Governmental Administration. Her crime? Videotaping a traffic stop, first from the sidewalk in front of her property, and then from her lawn. In the interests of fair justice, I will not here discuss any more about this particular case; however, the issue involved, one of police misconduct, is one that I feel should be examined.
Over the years, an unofficial crime has come to the forefront of law enforcement debate. So-called “contempt of cop,” a take on contempt of court in the judicial system, has been colloquially defined as someone who either displays disrespect, hostile (but not threatening) attitudes towards police officers, or in some cases, even disagreeing with officers. This has been often associated with recording of arrests, traffic stops, and the like. These actions are not illegal given current laws, and, in my opinon, they are another civic duty, such as serving on a jury, or voting, but ones that go unsaid. These recordings offer both an extra viewpoint for the jury or judge to view the incident from, as well as a means of public check on the power of the day-to-day actions of the local, county, state, or federal executive branches.
I would again like to point out my own respect for law enforcement officers, and that this article is meant, not to demean or disrespect them, but to facilitate discussion and debate on the causes of such issues, and possible solutions. In part, the actions of police officers are monitored by their respective office’s Internal Affairs Bureau (whatever the division might be called). However, each citizen is also responsible for taking a hand in the oversight of their government, as the government’s actions, both important and everyday, affect each and every one of us.
In that note, as a closing remark, I would like to extend an invitation to each one of you to consider these actions, and their impcats. I propose several questions for discussion on the topic. First, what are the reasons behind such arrests? Second, how can we help to prevent such abuses of power? And third, should this matter be taken to a higher level of government for review?
Thank you for reading my discourse on this matter. Please feel free to contact me and comment on this article at the following link:
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