In an important (but divided) decision, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the public has a right to film the police.
The 2-1 decision Thursday by Judge Jacques Wiener is among a slew of rulings on the topic, and it provides fresh legal backing for the so-called YouTube society where people are constantly using their mobile phones to film themselves and the police. The American Civil Liberties Union says, "there is a widespread, continuing pattern of law enforcement officers ordering people to stop taking photographs or video in public places and harassing, detaining and arresting those who fail to comply."
The decision was based on an incident in Texas, where 25-year-old Phillip Turner was arrested outside of the Galveston Police Department for videotaping law enforcement there. The police sergeant who arrested Turner has already been indicted on charges that he violated Turner’s civil rights.