Calif. bill would protect civilians recording police
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
From the LAPD beating of Rodney King 24 years ago to last year’s death of Eric Garner after a scuffle with New York police officers, bystanders who recorded the incidents on video have allowed the public to see at least some of what happened.
One California state senator wants to protect citizens who properly record the actions of officers in public from arrest or interference by the police. State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, has introduced legislation that would clarify that a civilian who makes an audio or video recording of a police officer, while the officer is in a public place, is not violating the law.