New Colorado law would fine cops $15,000 for interfering with citizens’ right to film them
by: J. D. Heyes
NaturalNews.com
Monday, October 19, 2015
A collection of police oversight measures that have been introduced in the Colorado Legislature includes one bill that would impose a $15,000 civil penalty if a police officer seizes or destroys the camera or video device of a citizen trying to film them in action.
“Primarily, it came up as a result of the number of news reports we’ve been seeing about police officers telling people, ‘Give me your camera,’ or taking the data away, and that is unacceptable conduct,” Rep. Joe Salazar, a Democrat from Thornton and co-sponsor of the bill, told ABC 7 news of Denver.
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 state lawmaker went on to say that one incident in particular caught his attention: a woman in Denver claimed that city police prevented her daughter from videoing the aftermath of the shooting of Jessica Hernandez, 17, who was riding in a stolen car.
‘He wouldn’t let me go’
The Rest…HERE
