Did Albuquerque police officer Daniel Guzman cross the line? By the looks of this video, it sure seems so. After exchanging a few words about a media staging area, local NBC news videographer Rick Foley was putting his gear back into his car when Officer Guzman hauls off and attacks him. The officer seemed to have gotten so riled up because he wasn’t being sufficiently respected, and he unfortunately let his youth and inexperience get the best of him (he’s only been on the force for just over a year). Foley spent 90 minutes in handcuffs. Guzman’s defense was that he was “sticking his camera in my face.” As annoying as that may be, it’s nowhere near a crime. APD Chief Ray Schultz says the incident is now under review.
Here’s Chief Schultz’s email if you’d like to drop him a line: rschultz@cabq.gov.
via RonPaulvsTyranny
UPDATE:: The Albuquerque Journal is reporting that charges filed against the reporter have been dismissed.
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/0211533507-02-08.htm
And to answer the question, YES! The police officer was WAY out of line. These guys work for US. We pay their salaries. A cameraman is not a criminal to be roughed up and brought before a judge with some weak charges. Feankly, I can’t believe a prosecutor went this far with it.
Not only is this police officer out of line, he is also not alone.
This sort of abuse of power and “sensitivity” to “documentation” has been going on for centuries.
In fact, we (at Aught Seven) just finished making a cartoon that specifically explores this “sensitivity.”
http://www.officer-bob.com/wordpress/2008/07/03/episode-5/
Check it out. We have around 5 episodes now, not to mention a ton of collected information regarding police abuses around the globe. Educational satire = good stuff. Spread the word.