Colorado Fines Cops For Interfering With Citizen Filming

A new bill meant to protect private citizens from police confiscating or destroying their cameras and videos during police activity looks like it will pass in Colorado.  Cops, should they attempt to take a person’s camera or recorder, would face a $15,000 civil penalty.

The Constitution already protects citizens when filming police activity.  There have been a few incidents recently that have highlighted a potential problem with cops destroying video evidence by taking the devices away from the citizen, thus prompting the legislation.

Salazar said his measure, HB 15-1290, has bipartisan support and is not intended to punish police officers.

“It takes a very special person to be a police officer,” he said. “We want to honor them, but at the same time, we have a few bad apples who need to be aware that their conduct now has major, major consequences.”

The conundrum is that most cops are not bad apples and there is already an existing process to deal with cops who do act inappropriately in these matters, according to Wheat Ridge Police Chief Dan Brennan, a spokesman for the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police.

“There’s already an existing process,” he said. “It don’t think it’s appropriate to legislate penalties.”

So will this legislation harm the men and women who do it right? Is it just a redundant writing that may itself create more harm than good?  Or is it exactly the course of action that will keep Colorado cops in line?  Has one bad apple created cause for this legislation?

What do you believe?

Source: Natural News