HIGHLAND PARK, MI – On August 23rd, 2017 a Detroit man was detained by Highland Park Police after one of the officers noticed that he was video recording them while making an arrest of another individual.
Lawrence Newell states that at about 12:30AM when he and his family were at the Parkside Coney Island located at 17050 Hamilton Ave in Highland Park, he observed officers from the Highland Park Police Department arresting a person. Newell decided that he would record the officers during the arrest.
Shortly after he started to record, one of the officers noticed him making the video. That officer then proceeds to come towards Lawrence Newell only asking for his ID. Newell asked the officer the same question several times of why did the officer wanted to see his identification? That officer would not answer that question. When Newell continued to inquire why he needed to produce his ID, the officer then placed him in handcuffs and put him in the back of one of their scout vehicles.
Newell said that after he was placed in the scout vehicle, the officer who detained him began to chastise him for recording police officers. Lawrence was detained for approximately 30 -40 minutes and was then let go.
Lawrence Newell would like others to know that he felt very embarrassed and humiliated by this officers actions in front of his family that night. He also feels that the officer violated his 4th Amendments Rights because there was no probable cause for the officer to place him in handcuffs and detain him. Newell had not broken any laws.
Is it legal to film a police officer in Michigan? “Yes”, unless the person filming is creating a safety hazard. A person creating the video cannot obstruct officers from acting in their legal capacity. The courts have been ruling that it is within a citizen’s First Amendment rights to record police activities with cameras.
Newell states that he has already begun the process of legal action concerning this incident.
Source: http://www.miheadlines.com