The Connecticut legislature is debating a bill that would set the rules of when people can or can’t record police officers in public and what happens when an officer interferes.
According to the Associated Press, if the bill passes the police can “ban recording in instances where they believe recording could hurt public safety, affect a crime scene of an investigation, or violate a person’s privacy.” However, the officers can be punished if they otherwise interfere with the person recording.
One of the people reportedly speaking in favor of the bill was Pastor James Manship, of New Haven, who was arrested by East Haven Police after recording them.
The issue of citizens recording the police in action has turned into a debate about civil liberties and courts often back up the person recording the video. Recently, a federal court ordered Boston to pay a man $170,000 when he was arrested for videotaping police attacking a suspect.
