Maryland College Football Player Charged with Recording Police Arresting Him (UPDATE)

Credit: julesgriff / Foter / CC BY

University of Maryland sophomore running back Wes Brown was arrested Wednesday for three charges: theft under $1,000, second-degree assault, and illegal use of wiretapping. Only one of the three accusations appears to have existed prior to his encounter with the police, the theft charge. The other two appear to stem from his encounter with the police, and the wiretapping charge is due to his recording of the police arresting him.

Testudo Times, a fan site for Maryland Terrapins lovers, provides some details:

University of Maryland police spokesperson Sgt. Aaron Davis said College Park police received a call from the Baltimore Police Department, asking for help in locating Brown. Davis said they found Brown Wednesday night on Knox Road, and said Brown assaulted a police officer before running away. Davis also said the wiretapping charge came from recording police officers with his cell phone without their knowledge. Davis declined to comment on why the Baltimore Police Department wanted Brown, saying that it is an open investigation.

Oddly, his bail was set only on the basis of the assault charge, not the theft and the wiretapping charge, and it's not clear as yet what the state's attorney will try to prosecute him for.

Maryland is one of the handful of states that has laws that require permission from both parties to record. But previous court rulings have determined that police on-duty do not have an expectation of privacy and the wiretapping law shouldn't apply. That might explain why the prosecution isn't pushing that charge forward as yet. It's still tiresome that the police don't know how the state's recording rules work, or more likely don't care.

In April, the Justice Department sent two letters to the U.S. District Court in Maryland endorsing the right of citizens to record on-duty police.

(Hat tip to former Reason editor Radley Balko)

UPDATE: The story has been updated to state that Brown was being sought for an interview in relation to a non-fatal shooting.

Comments

[Res Publica Americana]

*Pulls out camcorder, initiates filming of cops.*

"This is Officer Fuckbreath of the Shithead Police Department. He's real macho, real badass, and doesn't afraid of anything. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector -- THE DARK KNIGHT."

*Activates boombox -- TDK theme music plays loudly.*

[Sevo]

..."But previous court rulings have determined that police on-duty do not have an expectation of privacy and the wiretapping law shouldn't apply."...

Cops are employed by the population in general; as their employer, I can certainly record their activities at my pleasure.
They are society's janitors; they should do their job and shut up.

[Res Publica Americana]

I can't even imagine the outburst of Butthurt Macho you'd get from a cop if you were to tell him that he's one of society's janitors. Rofl.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

"Society's mall cops" might sting even more.

[Res Publica Americana]

"You're not even one of society's janitors, Officer -- you're the fucking mop your bosses, who are the janitors, use the wipe the scum and the shit away. How's that make you feel about yourself?"

[Res Publica Americana]

*to

[Sevo]

Res Publica Americana| 7.5.13 @ 5:25PM |#
"I can't even imagine the outburst of Butthurt Macho you'd get from a cop if you were to tell him that he's one of society's janitors. Rofl."

They are hired to do for society what that guy does at Safeway when the PA says: "Clean up on aisle 6, please!"

[Aresen]

"Cops are employed by the population in general"

If you can't fire them (and you can't), you don't employ them. If they can kill you, you are not the one in charge.

[Paul.]

Maryland is one of the handful of states that has laws that require permission from both parties to record.

Oh lord yes, we know. We heard that non-stop during the Monica Lewinsky/Linda Tripp fiasco.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It's still tiresome that the police don't know how the state's recording rules work, or more likely don't care.

The rules are for you not them.

[sarcasmic]

More and more this country resembles what we stood against in my youth.

[Hyperion]

You mean like in 1776? And I thought I was the old geezer around there...

[Sevo]

Ha! I'm DEAD!

[Hyperion]

It's still tiresome that the police don't know how the state's recording rules work, or more likely don't care.

Yep, only you, citizen, are supposed to know all 800 zillion billion million laws on the books. Your ignorance of those laws in no excuse.

But, the people that enforce the, they're excused from that obligation.

[Hyperion]

Wow, that was really bad grammar for this early in the evening. Oh well.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

It also makes perfect sense that people trained to use guns in stressful situations get far more deference for their poor choices than a random guy.

[Hyperion]

Yeah, because when one of the Kings good squads bust down the wrong door in the middle of the night, totally unannounced, and that door happens to be yours, that's not stressful at all. You're supposed to fully awaken immediately, and think 'wow, that could be the cops, maybe I should check to see'.

[?J?? de ?guila]

........immediately assume a servile attitude and offer your dog up for execution, your wife up for violation and your children up for seizure.

[Anonymous Coward]

It bears repetition:

Laws are only for the peasants.

[Hyperion]

The peasants are revolting, worldwide. The only problem is that the peasants are looking for those who are oppressing them, and their existing systems of oppression, to save them.

[oldtimer]

The peasants are revolting, worldwide.
You said it, they stink on ice.
or
It's good to be the king.

[The Bearded Hobbit]

+1 Million BC

... Hobbit

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Does it really anon-bot, does it really?