What you should know
- New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a message for the public: If you’re going to film a police arrest or encounter, don’t get too close.
- The mayor made the comments Wednesday, saying there is “a proper way to monitor and a proper way to document” officers’ actions, and said he wants to educate the public on how to capture encounters with police.
- He went on to say that filming in certain situations is “out of control” due to the “potentially dangerous environment” it has created.
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NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a message for the public: If you’re going to film a police arrest or encounter, don’t get too close.
The mayor made the comments Wednesday, saying there is “a proper way to monitor and a proper way to document” officers’ actions, and said he wants to educate the public on how to capture encounters with police.
“If your iPhone can’t capture that image with you at a safe distance, then you need to upgrade your iPhone. Stop being on top of our police officers as they try to do their jobs,” Adams said.
Adams, himself a former police officer, went on to say that filming in certain situations is “out of control” due to the “potentially dangerous environment” it has created.
“There have been officers on the ground and there have been people standing over them with a camera while they were struggling with someone. If an officer is trying to prevent a dispute from taking place, they shouldn’t have someone standing over their shoulder with a camera in their face, yelling and yelling at them without even realizing what the match is about,” he said.
Adams noted there is a way to “safely” film incidents that law enforcement and other officials can use, but said that’s not what happens most of the time, saying “it’s not acceptable. It’s not going to continue to happen.” “.
However, the comments are already causing a furore. The New York Civil Liberties Union tweeted that people have the right to record police work in public and cannot be ordered to stop.
