Pixiq

There's more to the incident, actually, but that will come out if you continue to follow. What's deeply upsetting to me is that this is not something unusual. Thanks for reposting about this incident--really.

Carlos, how do we e-mail you? This site does not work as well as the old and is awkward to say the least.

"then later told Hartford to "back away. Or you're going to jail.""

Those cops were assholes, but from what I've been reading here and other places that is the one lawful order that was given. When cops are making an arrest and tell you to back away, you are required to do so. That was Hartford's one mistake and may cost him at the trial. The other orders telling him to shut off the camera and "get the fuck out of here" were probably not lawful.
It would be interesting if someone could take a video of the trial so people could see how it goes.

Hmmm, can't release police report until after trial.. Has this ALWAYS been their stance or just when they know they are hosed? If it is a change that isn't going to look very good.

Quinnipiac University might just as well get out their checkbook..

In my experience that means they have a week case.

Carlos, I like this site for its diversity but I miss the free wheeling arguments on the old. I do hope they come back.

I would like the camera strap you had on your old site, you know the one that worked like a swash or carbine sling. Do you know a way?

Bad cops make a point of charging their victims with their own misconduct. Get punched by a cop? Assaulting an officer (your face hurt his knuckles). Cop has a public meltdown and starts screaming? All witnesses get charged with disturbing the peace. And so on.

While the cops were wrong in this video it seems to me that the cameraman should have kept his distance & his mouth shut. This is not to exonerate the cops, I'm just saying that you have to think of them as you would muggers. If you see a potential mugger you keep your distance & your mouth shut. The last thing you're going to do is walk up to him & start talking stuff. Same with the cops. Look at it as videography tactics.

"The video shows that he was merely observing, which is his right."

Maybe, maybe not. The courts, actually the US Supreme Court, is going to need to rule on this issue. Can I merely observe two feet from the action? Can I merely observe five feet from the action? At what point do non-lawyers get to intervene, be it to speak, give advice, film, whatever and what are their limits. Until the higher courts at the state and federal level start ruling on these issues, it is unknown. Most folks no longer respect the badge, any badge. You could have the nicest cops in the world, and you still get folks who no longer respect what they are doing, so our vague "interfering", "hampering" etc. laws are no longer valid. We need specific laws and/or court rulings that tell officers how close folks are allowed to stand around, under what circumstances they can stand around, etc..

"The video shows the unproffesionalism was actually coming from the officers. Police are refusing to release the arrest report, telling local media that they cannot do so until after the trial. My bet is that they are not doing so because they know it will contradict what we see on the video."

I don't know how things work in Conn., but usually the probable cause affidavit becomes a court document once official charges are filed. I can't believe a defense attorney/public defender wouldn't want to release this information ASAP. Here in Indiana, all those documents are public record, and the media always gets them.

Carlos and others, check out this link from the Yale student newspaper:

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/oct/02/video-nhpd-raid-elevate/

There is a You Tube Video there from a club raid. Guess the city PD had a shooting in their downtown party district, and their response was to make the downtown a police state. Video is said to have been right after the cops arrested, beat, and/or Tasered a resister/person doing nothing wrong/whatever you want to believe. Anyways, you can hear what I believe are two cops yelling/threatening "ANYONE ELSE?" "WHO'S NEXT?"

"Back away" is not a lawful order if he was not interfering with them- which he wasn't- and he was on public property. You can also see he is not really close to them because people are walking between him and the cops, and he even backs away as they get in his face. Also, the investigation was over because the officer was already saying arrest him, and the guy was just asking what for.

This charge will be thrown out in short order.

Respect is earned. A few bad apples would be okay if the rest would not cover for them.