UPDATE: Copblockers Arrested For Filming Police Station

Last Friday I wrote about my arrest and property theft by the Pennsylvania State Police in Lehighton PA.
The police there have decided that the First Amendment does not apply to them or their town and have made a point of illegally seizing property on a number of occasions rather than allow people to record in public.

I asked for a call flood to help get my property back as well as the friend’s property that were with me. I am happy to report that within 5 days the Sergeant called me and agreed to release the property! We did this! The Copblock Network, Copblock contributors, and just readers and supporters, were able to move a corrupt department. Never let them tell you, you can’t fight the state. We the people have more power than we realize!

This is not the end though for this small department of oath breakers. This State police Barracks has decided to not only break the law when it comes to recording, but has now decided to flaunt it with a sign on their PUBLIC BUILDING saying one must get permission to film in this location(picture on right) . After three videos of three officers from this department stealing filming equipment without question, this should not surprise us one bit.

On the first occasion (below) Matt a friend from the Oath Accountability Project was met with his phone being ripped from his hand after trying to record a traffic incident. As you can hear the officer quickly says “I don’t know what this could be”.

This led to our arrest. We decided to join Scott Marshall for a first amendment audit of the station. Our goal was to see if this was an isolated incident, or if these officers as a whole were simply operating outside the law. Our answer was obtained within 10 minutes of arriving at this public servant hub. We were arrested right away with only our refusal to answer questions and trespassing on public property as reason for our freedom being taken away from us.

The very next day Scott Marshall and Matthew Taylor of the Oath Accountability Project went to the station again to serve notice of a bill for Scott’s property and with case law showing that recording was legal in that space. They were quickly met with a man with a shiny badge grabbing their property and assaulting them to force them to shut off the camera. After all of that, the police employee refused to even look at the papers that were being presented to him. Officer Oath Breaker actually goes as far as to say “if a Supreme Court Justice walked in here and told me I had to allow filming, I would go to jail rather than allow it”.

These cops are out of hand to say the least. It’s become total lawlessness.
Consider Calling the department today. Tell them that they do not make the law. Tell them filming is a right. Tell them for us that the lawsuits will be coming.

Lehighton State Police barracks
610-681-1850
Pennsylvania State Police Internal affairs (8 am to 3pm EST)
866-426-9164

UPDATE: Copblockers Arrested For Filming Police Station is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights