If you haven’t, here’s a letter from a user on reddit to get the ball rolling. Remember, personalize it in some way and it’s always best to send a handwritten letter instead of a form letter. If you must email it, you can contact your representatives in Congress here.
Dear [your Representative] :
I am a person who believes the primary role of government is to protect its citizens. That role shines beautifully throughout the Bill of Rights, a document that rightfully limits the federal government’s ability to encroach on the people. Since then many laws have acted to abridge freedom rather than preserve it. I am asking that you to proactively take a much needed step to, like the Bill of Rights before, define, for the benefit of the citizenry, an inalienable right that should not be ignored: the freedom to photograph and record on-duty law enforcement.
Nearly every police department, if not all of them, employs the use of recording devices during traffic stops by the way of dash-cam videos, in interrogation rooms, inmate telephone calls from corrections facilities, and so on. Since the camera never lies, these recordings are often used to build a case against offenders. Every action is scrutinized, allowing prosecutors to maximize the number of charges against an offender. However, when it comes to the rights of the citizens to protect themselves with an unblinking, ever-truthful record of an interaction with the police, or if a person chooses to peacefully and un-obstructively document the actions of the police, his liberty is trampled on by an officer who acts out of a desire, more often than not, to protect his own image and position rather than protecting and serving the people. Unfortunately, the occasional bullying that citizen photographers receive from law enforcement is supported by the District Attorneys who choose to prosecute such erroneous and fabricated charges as obstruction, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. A recent occurrence can be seen on a report from Baltimore’s WMAR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNcDGqzAB30
I am asking you to help create parity when it comes to the rights of both law enforcement and the citizens to record one another. Citizens should be free from interference and bullying from both officers who may decide to step outside of their defined role, and from prosecutors who choose to maliciously punish individuals who want to protect themselves with a recording. Please take the lead in upholding our nation’s tradition of limiting government and protecting its citizens by authoring a bill unequivocally protecting the rights of the people to photograph law enforcement.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[your name]
I actually email my representatives quite often. My Congressman and one Senator always call me back. Not surprisingly, Ben Nelson never calls back, but he’s an asshat who is on the opposite side from me so I don’t expect he will ever return a call. I live in a small town and I don’t think many people call, write or email. After a few months of doing this, I’ve come home with messages on my answering machine (yes, I still have a landline) to call them back.
Once, Senator Johann’s called and spoke to me for over an hour about net neutrality. Both Senator Johanns and Rep. Smith have always answered my letters, though Rep. Smith sometimes sends form letters back. I’m a registered independent in a very republican state, but I make sure my voice is heard.
It does work, though responses may vary. If enough people take the time to just write once a month, they will sit up and listen.
Only you can make your representatives pay attention and look at changing the law. If you don’t participate, you can’t blame anyone but yourself when a law comes back on you. Get writing.
