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Ash_F

(5,861 posts)
20. The police would have to make a convincing arguement that she was obstructing
Sat May 18, 2013, 07:37 PM
May 2013

Per the article:

"As a rule, when a police officer stops, detains or arrests a person in a public area, persons who happen to be in or are attached to the area are naturally in position to and are allowed to observe the police officer’s actions. This right to observe is, of course, limited by reasons of safety to all concerned and as long as there is no substantive violation of law. The following guidelines should be utilized by police officers whenever the above situation exists:
a. A person remaining in the vicinity of a stop or arrest shall not be subject to arrest for Obstructing Governmental Administration (Penal Law, Section 195.05) unless the officer has probable cause to believe the person or persons are obstructing governmental administration.
b. None of the following constitutes probable cause for arrest or detention of an onlooker unless the safety of officers or other persons is directly endangered or the officer reasonably believes they are endangered or the law is otherwise violated:
(1) Speech alone, even though crude and vulgar
(2) Requesting and making notes of shield numbers or names of officers
(3) Taking photographs, videotapes or tape recordings
(4) Remaining in the vicinity of the stop or arrest.
"

Taking the SD card could be chalked up to evidence for the OGA charge, but I don't see a convincing argument for arrest, giving those detailed guidelines.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

I smell a lawsuit! Rex May 2013 #1
Sure you do. cartach May 2013 #18
yay cops! KG May 2013 #2
Quick! Somebody post that video Cirque du So-What May 2013 #4
What? No picture of the cop with the milk jugs? The authoritarians are really backsliding! n/t backscatter712 May 2013 #6
Third one from the left. AnotherMcIntosh May 2013 #12
also. pretty sure you can upload to Youtube from a smartphone in realtime. KG May 2013 #3
How can you steal the wrong SD card? Quantess May 2013 #5
How many cell phones even have an SD card? n/t Bay Boy May 2013 #7
Some cameras have two SD cards. RC May 2013 #8
Aha, thanks. (no text) Quantess May 2013 #10
Very common here these days. Smarmie Doofus May 2013 #9
Maybe we should all carry extra phones that they can confiscate. AnotherMcIntosh May 2013 #11
Where's our resident "NYPD and Bloomie can do no wrong!" defender? X_Digger May 2013 #13
I want the Milk Jug photo posted! n-t Logical May 2013 #15
I suspect she won't be able to successfully sue due to her actions mythology May 2013 #14
The police would have to make a convincing arguement that she was obstructing Ash_F May 2013 #20
I think she crossed the line when she interrupted them verbally Cronus Protagonist May 2013 #23
(1) Speech alone, even though crude and vulgar Ash_F May 2013 #24
Speech is one thing Cronus Protagonist May 2013 #27
What an annoying narcissist. LuvLoogie May 2013 #16
She may have gotten more than she asked for, but she did ask for it. n/t A Simple Game May 2013 #19
I didn't think the authoritarians could resist and sit this one out. backscatter712 May 2013 #21
Hee hee. LuvLoogie May 2013 #17
Yay, Cops. They're the best! nt. MrScorpio May 2013 #22
And some folks apparently want the NYPD to be a model for the rest of America derby378 May 2013 #25
All God Damn pigs are out of control gopiscrap May 2013 #26
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