# Filming on-duty cops **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2010, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626 "2010-05-16T09:55:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/21 "2010-05-17T17:12:24Z")
> [@](#): > > It is legal to film anything you want in public. That includes cops. The other thing to consider is that just because it’s legal does not automatically make it a smart thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/22 "2010-05-17T18:24:13Z")
> [@campp](#): > > In the US at least, I don’t believe anyone can ask to see your photo card without a warrant. Not legally. [Hiibel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiibel_v._Sixth_Judicial_District_Court_of_Nevada) seems to say that officers can require people to identify themselves if there’s a reasonable suspicion that they have, are, or will commit a crime, even without probable cause. I don’t know if the power to require identification will extend to photo id for verification. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/23 "2010-05-17T19:01:31Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > [Hiibel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiibel_v._Sixth_Judicial_District_Court_of_Nevada) seems to say that officers can require people to identify themselves if there’s a reasonable suspicion that they have, are, or will commit a crime, even without probable cause. I don’t know if the power to require identification will extend to photo id for verification. By photo card, I meant SD chip or memory chip, not a personal identification card. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/24 "2010-05-18T15:30:33Z")
[London Met Police service](http://cms.met.police.uk/news/policy_organisational_news_and_general_information/guidance_issued_to_mps_officers_and_staff_re_stop_and_search_photo_policy) - there is no prohibition on photographing front-line uniform staff Some points about taking photos in public (generally)…I can’t comment on the legality of the details within. [Public Photography](http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/photography_law_rights.html) [US Photographers Rights](http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf) (PDF) [Another US Photographers rights page](http://www.andrewkantor.com/useful/Legal-Rights-of-Photographers.pdf) (PDF) [UK Photographers Rights](http://www.sirimo.co.uk/2009/05/14/uk-photographers-rights-v2) - Link to PDF is about halfway down the page…he requested not to link the PDF directly. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/25 "2010-05-19T06:45:19Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > FWIW, in Massachusetts, it’s illegal to make an audio recording of someone in public without their permission, even if the audio is just part of a video recording. This has been upheld in the courts, and does apply to recording cops as well. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/26 "2010-05-19T09:13:17Z")
> [@newme](#): > > It happened in Harris County, Texas (Houston):Wed 12/23/2009 Houston Chronicle > [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2009\_4826849](http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2009_4826849) > "After more than seven years and $4 million in legal bills, Harris County soon will bring an end to the courtroom fallout from the arrests of two men who said they were wrongfully arrested after one of them photographed sheriff’s deputies during a drug raid. " There was a similar case in Portland about the police tasering a guy who was videoing them searching a junkyard: [link](http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/04/portland_police_chief_rosie_si.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/27 "2010-05-19T12:03:37Z")
I recall cases were people have been charged with wiretapping for filming police. I didn’t look at specific examples, but [google](http://www.google.com/search?q=wiretapping+filming+police&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) has a few links. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/28 "2010-05-19T13:23:43Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Cite? Here’s a recent Boston Globe [article](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/01/12/police_fight_cellphone_recordings/) about police and cell phone videorecording, but it includes a quote about the case that I was thinking of: > [@](#): > > Michael Hyde, a 31-year-old musician, began secretly recording police after he was stopped in Abington in late 1998 and the encounter turned testy. He then used the recording as the basis for a harassment complaint. The police, in turn, charged Hyde with illegal wiretapping. Focusing on the secret nature of the recording, the SJC upheld the conviction in 2001. > > “Secret tape recording by private individuals has been unequivocally banned, and, unless and until the Legislature changes the statute, what was done here cannot be done lawfully,’’ the SJC ruled in a 4-to-2 decision. ETA: I see from the article that the result in court now seems to turn on whether the recording was done secretly or openly, though the cops still seem perfectly happy to arrest anyone who is recording them, no matter how openly they do it. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626/29 "2010-05-19T16:00:47Z")
It would appear the fact that he was doing it secretly is what caused the problem. Although if the police told him to stop, and he didn’t, he’d probably get hit with failing to obey a peace officer or obstructing justice or disturbing the peace or some other horseshit charge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/filming-on-duty-cops/539626.md?page=1)