| Comment | This is getting a bit out of hand for my liking. I'm not a fan of long paragraphs / debates.
I don't agree with your definition of obstructing police though. Anything that makes their job more difficult is obstruction. There's no requirement for them to draw a line in the sand or take steps to try and get away from you.
Whether or not this is the case or not... I cannot make a sound judgment on it. The officer, when seizing the camera might have informed him under what statuatory power he was seizing the phone. Who knows without the full unabridged video.
However, what I disagreed with is that you quoted this memo as an absolute right to record police in public coupled with the idea they can only take your phone when they suspect a crime.
I'd say that's quite evidently not true if you've followed any of the stories regarding MPE technology and laws over the past decade. The police have a host of powers to draw from to seize a phone and it honestly would not surprise me if OP's phone has been subjected to this technology. |
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