We’ve written story after story after story about what transpires when a law enforcement officer simply decided not to turn on a department-issued body camera. For those who may have missed that reporting, it seldom ends well. Often, citizen video means the difference between accountability and a story of police brutality fading into obscurity. But an Arizona law passed last month gives corrupt police officers another tool for avoiding accountability for their intolerable actions. That law, which started as HB 2319, makes it illegal to record within 8 feet of police activity. It is now the subject of a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona and 10 media organizations in the U.S. District Court of Arizona.
“This law is a violation of a vital constitutional right and will severely thwart attempts to build police accountability,” the nonprofit wrote on its blog. “It must be struck down before it creates irreparable community harm.”
RELATED STORY: New Arizona law limits bystanders from recording police officers and law enforcement incidents
