http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_6861444.html



Oh boy that wont turn out too well.

 

I don't think it will pass, but if so, it's not a big deal. Read the article. It's within 25ft. I agree with it. There's no reason to stand within that distance when police activity is going on. You're only endangering yourself.

 

It's a big deal. In Austin there's a guy(Buehler) who was thrown in jail for recording an unpleasant police activity in a slightly obnoxious way - now he gives out cameras for people to use to record police. Here, there are hurt feelings on both sides of this issue. The bill was supposedly proposed by Texans to a Texas legislator (Villalba) who thought it was a good idea at the time. He got death threats over it and reduced it from 100 feet to 25 and then to 15, and a committee hearing was postponed to let him rewrite it. He said it was tone-deaf to propose it right now.



http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/polit...bill/25105721/

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015...olice-officers



The problem I had with it was that 'citizen journalists' were treated differently than 'legit reporters'. We'll have to see how it comes out when he comes back with the bill.

 

The technology is available to have POV cams on all on duty officers. It's for THEIR protection as well. If I were in the force, I would demand this. This needs to happen, not banning people from taking video. Yes, I agree there should be laws pertaining to citizens encroachment on crime scenes, but not for taking video.

 

There are many situations where you cannot control the distance from the officer. One instance would be your own dash cam. Another would be as the passenger during a traffic stop. A third would be a wearable camera while you're being confronted by police.

 

This law is about 3rd party privileges. Texas is and always will be a two party state in which you can record video or audio if you are one of the 2 parties in the conversation or action.

 

You can record almost anything as long as it can be seen/heard from a public space.



And



They are looking at body cams for police statewide. It will cost many millions of dollars and IMO is worth the expense. In a few years we will be past this transition, and nobody will have to day "WHY THEY OUGHTTA..." because they will have done. If we spend six figures on a crown vic, we can spend three figures on a camera. It hardly makes sense NOT to, when you consider the first ten-million-dollar lawsuit that's won because of police bodycams will pay for the whole program.