Man Faces Life In Jail For Recording Police
#1
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Man Faces Life In Jail For Recording Police
I'm really, really tired of hearing about this kind of stuff. There is no excuse for the American people tolerating this kind of bullying by the police and being subject to legal fees and hassle just to fight against improper and illegal arrests.
Man Faces Life In Jail For Recording Police
Man Faces Life In Jail For Recording Police
41-year old Illinois mechanic Michael Allison faces life in jail for recording police officers after authorities hit him with eavesdropping charges based on the hoax that it is illegal to film cops, a misnomer that has been disproved by every other case against people filming police officers being thrown out of court.
The state of Illinois is trying to charge Allison with five counts of wiretapping, each punishable by four to 15 years in prison.
Allison refused a plea deal which would have seen him serve no jail time but would reinforce the hoax that it is illegal to film police officers, as well as acting as a chilling effect to prevent other Americans from filming cases of police brutality.
Allison has chosen to reject the plea bargain and fight to clear his name via a jury trial, arguing, “If we don’t fight for our freedoms here at home we’re all going to lose them.”
A judge is expected to rule on when the case will go to trial over the next two weeks.
As another report concerning the Allison case documents, in every other example where people have been arrested for recording police officers, the charges have been dropped and the case thrown out of court. Despite this fact, the state is so desperate to make an example out of Allison that an assistant from the Attorney General’s Office was recently sent to speak against him during a hearing.
The notion that it is illegal to film police officers is a mass hoax that is being promulgated by authorities, the media, and police officers themselves.
In the latest example, charges were dismissed against a woman who filmed cops in her own back yard in Rochester, New York.
In Illinois itself, eavesdropping charges against Tiawanda Moore for recording patrol officers were dropped, after a “Criminal Court jury quickly repudiated the prosecution’s case, taking less than an hour to acquit Moore on both eavesdropping counts.”
Despite the fact that recording police officers (public servants) is perfectly legal, Americans are still being arrested for doing so, and the establishment media is enthusiastically perpetuating the hoax that such conduct is unlawful, even though in doing so they are completely eroding protections that guarantee press freedom.
There is no expectation of privacy in public, the police are fully aware of this, which is why they have dash cams on their cars to record incidents, wear microphones and utilize other recording equipment as part of their job.
Cases like Allison’s have been thrown out all over the country and yet police continue to arrest people for filming them as a form of intimidation.
The fact that the state is knowingly ignoring its own laws in order to engage in acts of official repression highlights the rampant criminality that has infested every level of American government. This behavior is reflective of a predatory system that seeks to criminalize all first amendment activities.
It also highlights how petrified the system is about the public being able to document and record acts of police brutality.
Prosecutors in Allison’s case are deliberately attempting jail an innocent man for life for an activity that they know full well is not illegal. If anything, they should be the ones being charged with illegal conduct and official oppression.
The state of Illinois is trying to charge Allison with five counts of wiretapping, each punishable by four to 15 years in prison.
Allison refused a plea deal which would have seen him serve no jail time but would reinforce the hoax that it is illegal to film police officers, as well as acting as a chilling effect to prevent other Americans from filming cases of police brutality.
Allison has chosen to reject the plea bargain and fight to clear his name via a jury trial, arguing, “If we don’t fight for our freedoms here at home we’re all going to lose them.”
A judge is expected to rule on when the case will go to trial over the next two weeks.
As another report concerning the Allison case documents, in every other example where people have been arrested for recording police officers, the charges have been dropped and the case thrown out of court. Despite this fact, the state is so desperate to make an example out of Allison that an assistant from the Attorney General’s Office was recently sent to speak against him during a hearing.
The notion that it is illegal to film police officers is a mass hoax that is being promulgated by authorities, the media, and police officers themselves.
In the latest example, charges were dismissed against a woman who filmed cops in her own back yard in Rochester, New York.
In Illinois itself, eavesdropping charges against Tiawanda Moore for recording patrol officers were dropped, after a “Criminal Court jury quickly repudiated the prosecution’s case, taking less than an hour to acquit Moore on both eavesdropping counts.”
Despite the fact that recording police officers (public servants) is perfectly legal, Americans are still being arrested for doing so, and the establishment media is enthusiastically perpetuating the hoax that such conduct is unlawful, even though in doing so they are completely eroding protections that guarantee press freedom.
There is no expectation of privacy in public, the police are fully aware of this, which is why they have dash cams on their cars to record incidents, wear microphones and utilize other recording equipment as part of their job.
Cases like Allison’s have been thrown out all over the country and yet police continue to arrest people for filming them as a form of intimidation.
The fact that the state is knowingly ignoring its own laws in order to engage in acts of official repression highlights the rampant criminality that has infested every level of American government. This behavior is reflective of a predatory system that seeks to criminalize all first amendment activities.
It also highlights how petrified the system is about the public being able to document and record acts of police brutality.
Prosecutors in Allison’s case are deliberately attempting jail an innocent man for life for an activity that they know full well is not illegal. If anything, they should be the ones being charged with illegal conduct and official oppression.
#6
+1
I've recorded police and security guards plenty of times growing up skateboarding. I actually have a tape somewhere of me and a friend asking the cops to arrest us and throw us in the back of the car for our film and they laughed and joked about it with us.
I really think it depends on the situation that's being recorded and the person recording it that lead to things like this. The fact that this guy was (in the officer's mind) fighting their authority is what brought him to being arrested, not so much because he recorded them. Now the state took a side and they have to stick with it, otherwise it just becomes a joke.
Hopefully this guy goes to trial and fights like a ************. The jury will almost certainly find him innocent on all charges and maybe this can be a good start for us to put this kind of bullying to an end.
I've recorded police and security guards plenty of times growing up skateboarding. I actually have a tape somewhere of me and a friend asking the cops to arrest us and throw us in the back of the car for our film and they laughed and joked about it with us.
I really think it depends on the situation that's being recorded and the person recording it that lead to things like this. The fact that this guy was (in the officer's mind) fighting their authority is what brought him to being arrested, not so much because he recorded them. Now the state took a side and they have to stick with it, otherwise it just becomes a joke.
Hopefully this guy goes to trial and fights like a ************. The jury will almost certainly find him innocent on all charges and maybe this can be a good start for us to put this kind of bullying to an end.
#7
99% of the time its like this:
cop is a ******* ***** and abuses his power.
notices someone recording him and realizes he's fucked because he has to answer for what he did.
flips out and goes ape **** on the civilian recording to scare them into giving up evidence and cover up his tracks.
Just my .02
cop is a ******* ***** and abuses his power.
notices someone recording him and realizes he's fucked because he has to answer for what he did.
flips out and goes ape **** on the civilian recording to scare them into giving up evidence and cover up his tracks.
Just my .02
#10
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Oh, and this guy is going to need to find another state to live in after this goes down. I made a complaint back when I was 17 because a cop pulled me over for going 47mph in a 30 over road humps in a VW that was slammed to the ground. He then, without permission, tore the car apart, broke any plastic he could, and spoke to me like a real *******. Me, being the ****** that I am, and a highschool debater, well, I recorded the conversation and turned it into internal affairs. I was harassed daily by police until I left for college.
#12
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There needs to be some sort of punitive damages levied against law enforcement for laws like this which are crushed by SCOTUS. I have to pay the local government $200+ if I get get caught speeding (to keep it off my record) or I have to pay $125 if the nose of my car "encroaches" past the white line at the stop-light. However the assumption and provision that "police are functioning in good intentions" needs to be revoked when it is proven that their intentions were unconstitutional at best.
#13
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It's like how the EPA would drop the 8 million fine on a rabbit farmer if he signed a paper that stated that the EPA had legal authority to do what htey did to him.
BTW who race preps a car by cutting a hole in the hood.. CATMAN disapproves.
#14
This type of **** infuriates me.
They hinted at it in the video: If cop cars automatically record the citizen during a traffic stop without our consent, not to mention the TV show Cops, why then are they trying to make it illegal for citizens to do the same thing?
It goes back to the old saying that I always hear from cops, when they justify searching your car, running your plates, etc: If you don't have anything to hide, you have nothing to worry about.
They hinted at it in the video: If cop cars automatically record the citizen during a traffic stop without our consent, not to mention the TV show Cops, why then are they trying to make it illegal for citizens to do the same thing?
It goes back to the old saying that I always hear from cops, when they justify searching your car, running your plates, etc: If you don't have anything to hide, you have nothing to worry about.
#17
Just a piece of FYI, but every state has laws regarding whether recorded conversations are one or two party consent. Federal laws state one party consent, but the states may restrict it to two party consent. If the second party does not consent to the recording, the first party must stop recording or be in violation of the law. Before conducting such a recording, it's good to know if your party is one or two party consent. If Illinois is a two party consent state, the civilian may not record the conversation without willful consent of the officer.
This is why you get the "this conversation is being recorded for training and quality issues...." sometimes. Either party may be in a two party consent state, so they HAVE to notify you they are recording it. If you don't consent, they may not record it. If they do, they are in violation of criminal statutes, and can probably get hammered in a civil suit.
This is why you get the "this conversation is being recorded for training and quality issues...." sometimes. Either party may be in a two party consent state, so they HAVE to notify you they are recording it. If you don't consent, they may not record it. If they do, they are in violation of criminal statutes, and can probably get hammered in a civil suit.
#20
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It gets better:
Chicago State's Attorney Lets Bad Cops Slide, Prosecutes Citizens Who Record Them
If you think the police should be held accountable for their actions, THEN YOU WANT THE TERRORISTS TO WIN.
Chicago State's Attorney Lets Bad Cops Slide, Prosecutes Citizens Who Record Them
The other case to challenge the wiretap law is that of Christopher Drew, an artist who was arrested in December 2009 for selling art without a permit on the streets of Chicago. Drew recorded his arrest, and now faces four to 15 years for documenting the incident.
In a hearing last December, Cook County Assistant State Attorney Jeff Allen invoked homeland security, arguing that Drew's recording could have picked up police discussing anti-terrorism tactics. Drew's case was suspended after he was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year.
In a hearing last December, Cook County Assistant State Attorney Jeff Allen invoked homeland security, arguing that Drew's recording could have picked up police discussing anti-terrorism tactics. Drew's case was suspended after he was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year.