Before everyone had video recording capabilities on their phone, skateboarders were frequently logging police harassment into their Hi-8 and DV camcorders. You see, skaters would lug a video camera along with them to film sessions, and would often catch police officers and security guards acting inappropriately. Years later, these videos found a home on YouTube, where they began to make national headlines. Case in point:

Apparently, it is now illegal in at least three, but as many as twelve states to record on-duty police officers. Even if the video is for your own defense, and even if it is taken in a public area. Under some interpretation of wiretapping laws, you may be arrested for eavesdropping if the featured officer does not consent to being filmed. There are already several cases in Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts with punishments ranging from fines to Class I felonies.

This is undoubtedly a reaction to the rising number of police brutality cases backed up by indisputable video evidence. It seems that one way to decrease the number of cases is to eliminate the evidence supporting them, instead of cracking down on abuse of power by law enforcement. Had this law been in place in California in 1991, the video of Rodney King’s beating would not only have been inadmissible in court, but the creator would have been punished for filming it.

I think this is terrible news, and if the trend persists, will lead to a few skaters unknowingly landing themselves in legal trouble. More information on this topic can be found at Photography is Not a Crime.