I bet that he will walk. There is no expectation of privacy in an open-air traffic stop.

Bob.

Funny that the same cops can video tape and record your sound from the camera in their car and not face any charges. The laws in this country are so screwed up. The law should be followed by everyone. Its too simple these days to say its ok to break the law in the name of safety, crime, and/or protection. This case sickens me more than many others I have seen recently.

The police camera is only recording video, not audio. The audio portion is what is illegal. These rules vary from state to state by the way.

Sorry, Laurence, but I believe you are wrong in every state, and department. The officers wear wireless mikes and pickup both their own and anyone they are talking to.

no, it says audio in the article & police are allowed to record audio & video.

The crime was the guy recorded audio (not video) w/o permission. The policeman said he was recording them when he walked up (according to the article).

So where done one find these wacky laws? I went through new york's laws & couldn't find anything on wiretapping under the civil service section (search turned up nothing). For some reason the server wouldn't load up anything after a few minutes & I couldn't search the public employee laws.

But if NYS did have a law similar to that i'd happily complain. But with one senator on the campaign trail the only way I'd get attention is if I strapped a bomb to my chest. :/

Thats my point. What makes the police so special that they are allowed to be exempt from the law? Thats what is wrong with our country. The government is allowed to commit computer crimes in the name of evidence gathering. The police are allowed to break and enter based on suspicion of a crime (read as their gut feeling). The police are allowed to decide who to cut breaks to and who to cart off to jail. Thats not true law.

True law is treating all citizens equally under the same rights that the constitution affords. It shouldnt make for allowances or leniency for anyone regardless of the cause or justification.

We have a president who makes his own laws as he goes along to trample over the previous precedents. We have cops that throw away pill bottles so they can get a bj from a porn star. We officers who continue to racial profile while those in charge continue to deny that it still takes place. Not to mention that those that are supposed to govern our laws and provide protection are the most corrupt per their industry's capita. We have DAs who wish to lock up people for driving on a suspended license for a lot longer than she got when his wife was busted for the same offense and only received a $186 fine.

Face it, America is nothing more than a hypocritical society thats going straight to hell and quickly. And we wonder why the rest of the world wants to kill us or views us as an arrogant country with no concern for people's rights.

Whoa, there, big fella. A little bit of hyperbole there?

I know nothing about the law or laws under discussion here, but whatever laws there are were put there once upon a time because it made sense to the lawmakers at the time. But times change and in time the outdated or inappropriate laws will be changed, too.

There are many things I think wrong with the USA, but on the whole I still think it has many special qualities. People can vote with their feet, and I'm not seeing a mass stampede to some other country. People are even risking their own lives to get here. To me that makes a pretty strong statement.

Anyway, please guys, there are plenty of boards where one can vent about these kinds of things. Can we get back on-topic here?

>>>>I'm not seeing a mass stampede to some other country.<<<

Gee, I know I shouldn't -- just can't help myself! Have you ever watched a documentary and asked yourself the question : "why do they live there?". It seems obvious to move away, but people are very reluctant to head for the unknown. Better the devil you know, and all that. So I suggest that the lack of a mass stampede isn't ever evidence that all is jolly. And the greatest propaganda phrase of all time is that "USA is God's own country", so everywhere else must be worse. You need better evidence to support your assertion.

Ummm, what was the topic?

"Whoa, there, big fella. A little bit of hyperbole there?"

Name one thing I stated that I am wrong on.

Name one thing I stated that I am wrong on.

What makes the police so special that they are allowed to be exempt from the law?

police aren't above the law. like stated in the article, the law lets them record the video, the law says so. The recording of video has helped more innocent people then condemn them.

Unfortunatly, we can't have a perfect world, or country. Police agencies have problems, sure, they're full of ordinary people, so mistakes, intentional or not, happen. If I'm going to complain, it's the felons who go free because of a "technicality" or because the law enforcment agecies hands are tied, even when there is a video of the crime being committed. And we all know that it is possible to get away with murder if you are a high-profile famous person. I do think that the word "wiretapping" needs to be overhauled,.

"Name one thing I stated that I am wrong on."

Um, the aqueducts?

Obviously you have mistaken my point. Of course the law says that the cops can do it legally. My problem is that the law gives cops the ability to do things that the normal citizen would be charged for. You cant have two separate laws for everyone.

I will give you your point that it saves lives. However, it prevents the ordinary Joe the same ability. If I were to video tape and record sound of someone making a threat to harm me, theoretically that would be illegal on my part because of the wiretapping law.

To sum it up, we live in a country where we have two sets of laws. One set for those with power and one for everyone else with no power. There is no equality in the law and if I am not mistaken, this country was founded on that very principle. The accused will always remain accused and the powerful will always find ways out of it. Its disgusting.

Someone said above, "why not leave?" Not everyone wants to leave nor can they afford it. Why should I have to leave my country because those in power choose to abuse the power bestowed upon them? Thats like saying that I should move out of my neighborhood because the local cops are corrupt. Why should I move? Shouldnt it be "why dont they clean up their act?"

While we may be perceived to have more liberties and freedoms than other countries, is it really true? Perhaps. But I am pretty sure the immigrants who come to this country in search of the "Great American Dream" never planned on coming here to do what amounts to slave labor for minute pay. Oh yes, lets go to America so I can make $10 a day in the fields. Thats their choice. But America has done such a great job marketing itself as the place where dreams come true that others wishing to come here, become mislead on how great it is here.

p@masters, Florida is close to Cuba, Mike claims it's the best, so, go for a nice boat ride! ;-) (just kidding)!

"Thats like saying that I should move out of my neighborhood because the local cops are corrupt. Why should I move? Shouldnt it be "why dont they clean up their act?" " Will maybe you should move to a different township or city if you believe that your vote and others like mined folks can not muster enough voting power to get ride of the bad local officials. For individuals without money or political power, if the vote doesn't work, then reducing the tax revenue affects local government operations and employment. This is not an instant fix, but one that really does work and one that most smart pols know. A bad "community" Image will kill a golden real estate market fast, and local government needs those tax dollars.

whos Mike?

I don't know who Mike is but I do feel compelled to correct one point you made earlier.

No one has taken drastic action against the citizens of your country because of what happens within your own boarders. It's when you try to export your view of how the world should be that people get very uppity.

Bob.

The views that get pushed on other countries are typically the same views pushed on the very citizens they govern.

there are all kind of stupid laws on the books in the US , this clown is taking advantage one of them,, probably was acting like an ass while on tape,, one dumb cop,,I know plenty of smart and good ones .

>>>>The views that get pushed on other countries are typically the same views pushed on the very citizens they govern.<<<<

Maybe you need to amplify for clarification. I thought the justification for pushing ideas on Iraq was that these weren't the ideas Hussein promulgated. Must say the results look much the same, or worse.

Here in NH last year a Nashua homeowner captured on a security system he had installed, with audio as well as video, a visit he had from a police officer who he said was rude, etc. Not being the subject they were interested in, he felt mis-treated and filed a formal complaint with the police department, complete with a copy of his security tape.

Well, he got arrested and the tape was seized. He was charged with felony wiretapping just as in the above case.

A few weeks went by, and I guess tempers cooled and people thought better of it. The police chief dropped the charges against the homeowner. The officer was disciplined for discourteous behavior, according to the chief who would not give further detail on what the discipline consisted of..

I am talking about the the same views that the US pushes on other countries are the same views it pushes on its US citizens whether the citizens like it or not.

This seems to be (aside from the aspect of power-crazed cops and prosecutors) another artifact of the law not keeping pace with technology. Wiretap laws stem from the era when there was no videotaping. Now I realize that there is a legal difference between speech and conduct, but the whole video is OK but audio is not thing raises some interesting questions. What if I videotape, with no sound, some deaf people talking together in sign? Have I violated a wiretap law? What if I video tape, with no sound, some people arguing and gesticulation wildly? What if I videotape the cop pulling me over with no audio, but his lips are clearly shown and what he is saying can understood by someone who can lipread?