Could There be a Worse Time for a "Don't Film Cops" Bill? (Nanny of the Month, March '15)

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Could There be a Worse Time for a "Don't Film Cops" Bill? (Nanny of the Month, March '15)

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The Mike Brown and Eric Garner cases  have focused the nation's attention on police officers' questionable use of force, but if you're one Texas legislator that means it's the perfect time for a bill that makes it harder film cops.

So awful was his bill that it's been called "one of the most anti-liberty, anti-transparency, anti-free speech, big government, police state promoting pieces of legislation I've ever read," and that's from a fellow Republican lawmaker.

Never before in the (five year!) history of this sorry award has a winner exhibited such stunning disregard for personal liberty and public relations. Behold your Nanny of the Month: Texas Representative Jason Villalba (R-Dallas)!

About 2 minutes.

Follow Nanny of the Month on Twitter (@NannyoftheMonth) and submit your nominees for next month!

Nanny of the Month is written Ted Balaker (@tedbalaker) and produced by Balaker and Matt Edwards (@MattChrisEd). Edited by Edwards.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

"You are videotaping this crime scene."

WE'RE TRYING TO GATHER EVIDENCE HERE AND WE DON'T NEED YOUR COMPETITION.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Somebody needs the POA endorsement

[sarcasmic]

Locally a civil suit against cops for illegally arresting and jailing a couple for the non-crime of filming the police was just settled for seventy-two grand. The money is coming from the taxpayers, and the officers were not penalized at all. They say it will result in more training, but if the cops pay no penalties for illegally arresting and jailing people for non-crimes, what's going to stop them in the future? Yeah. Exactly.

http://www.centralmaine.com/20.....n-lawsuit/

The city didn't admit fault in the case, and said it was the couple's refusal to obey an officer's order, not the filming, that led to their arrest.

That's what it always comes down to, isn't it. Obey or else.

[Catatafish]

"...it was the couple's refusal to obey an officer's order, not the filming, that led to their arrest."

Note the convenient omission that it was an UNLAWFUL order they refused to obey.

[sarcasmic]

By ordering them off the sidewalk he was ordering them to trespass on the adjacent property or jaywalk. So no matter what they did they were going to be arrested.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The city will arrange for an attorney to represent Sgt. Noyes at the city's expense.

So there's that.

[Mainer2]

A job where your word is literally law. That would never attract the wrong kind of person.

[WinstonSmith84]

Typical big government conservative, what with their love for unfettered all-powerful police forces, and a sour disdain for liberty.... and these guys are supposedly the alternative to police state liberals.
Either way, government continues its expansion. There is no practical difference between these "two" political camps... just the delusion of choice.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Holy crap, this guy's a complete idiot whose casual approach to creating legislation should disqualify him for making decisions for anyone other than himself.

[tarran]

He's a legislator. Mouth-breathing idiot is the median intelligence for that crowd.

[pogi]

He's a legislatorTexas legislator. Mouth-breathing idiot is the median intelligence for that crowd.

FTFY

You give them too much credit. Mouth-breathing idiot is the average intelligence with a couple of outliers on the far right of the curve to pull the average up from dead banana slug.

This is why we like it that the Texas legislature meets only every 2 years. It helps keep morons like this on a shorter leash than if they were free to run amok every fucking day, year-round.

The cop-suckers are in full howl mode on this one. Anything to help protect our heroes in blue...ugh...I threw up in my mouth a bit just typing that.

[lap83]

Jimmy Fallon looks kind of mean.

[adolphowisner]

My best friend's mother-in-law makes $85 /hour on the internet . She has been out of work for 5 months but last month her pay was $16453 just working on the internet for a few hours.
Visit this website ????? http://www.jobsfish.com

[CatoTheElder]

I think that the Nanny of the Month Award is great and all, but this really deserves the Fascist of the Month Award.

[Robert]

Has anyone proposed the same for firemen at a fire? Or flood?

[retiredfire]

Since this proposed law - did anyone bother to read it? - is about interfering with an officer, then, yes, there are laws that prohibit interfering with firemen. I actually know a fireman from a different jurisdiction, trying to help the ones from his home town, who was arrested for interfering.
This law, while the distance involved may be a little big - 25 feet - is just to clarify what is too close when a citizen wants to film police activity and it doesn't apply to the media.
So quit with the hysterics.
Libertarians sound so much like whiny beotches sometimes.

[bassjoe]

Sort of OT: The hearing on Floyd Dent's drug possession charge in Inkster, MI is tomorrow. Mr. Dent was the 57 year old who was pulled out of his car for allegedly running a stop sign and beat by the so-called "RoboCop" to the point of being in the hospital for two days. He was also charged with resisting arrest and assault. The dash cam evidence (amazingly, the thing was not turned off) was sufficient for the judge to throw out the resisting and assault charges.

Mr. Dent claims the drugs were planted in his car by RoboCop. His lawyer claims to see the act in the dash cam video (I know, not exactly an unbiased source). Considering RoboCop's colorful history of abuse in Detroit, though, Mr. Dent's version, at worst, is a huge source of reasonable belief.

[bassjoe]

*reasonable DOUBT, not belief...

[martincrow523]

Start working from home! Great job for students, stay-at-home moms or anyone needing an extra income... You only need a computer and a reliable internet connection... Make $90 hourly and up to $12000 a month by following link at the bottom and signing up... You can have your first check by the end of this week................

http://www.Jobsyelp.com

[__Will__]

It must be a terrible bill if even the 18,500 members of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas don't like it. Clearly Texas has solved every other issue if there is time for this nonsense. http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/loc.....00591.html

[Radioactive]

didn't go far enough for them? what, no beatings or mandatory tasering involved of the suspects?

[adolphowisner]

My ex-wife makes $75 every hour on the laptop . She has been laid off for seven months but last month her pay check was $18875 just working on the laptop for a few hours.
Look At This. ???? http://www.jobsfish.com

[EndTheGOP]

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see where this is going. The more the police trample on the people the more the police are going to incite the snipers to come out. It ain't going to be pretty. Bureaucrats, rein in your attack dogs -- or the people will do it for you.

[Isawyournanny]

This nanny of the week feature is awesome sauce. You know what's even better, I Saw Your Nanny.