(Cross posted at The Line is Here)
"Who watches the watchmen"?
For the longest time, I believed that the increases in technology that allow us to take a picture, a video, audio, or any document and have it on the Internet literally within seconds would promote freedom to a degree never before seen on the face of this planet.
Now that we are not slaves to the media and can find whatever information we want at any instant in time, we can keep closer tabs on our representatives and those in positions of authority. Google never forgets even if the politicians promising us Hope, Change, and Higher Taxes do.
The problem we're having now is that those in power are realizing this as well. In the good old days, they only had to worry about bullying the press into submission. It was nigh impossible for the standard John & Jane Doe to look through years of microfiche to find some obscure articles about a politician's views. Now, with the power of search engines, every last word they say can be compared instantly to their entire history.
Technology is also allowing us to watch those who we give extended authority to, such as the police. The police have video cameras mounted to their dash for evidence and it has come in handy for them time and time again.
However, it seems when the citizenry employ this technology, the Watchmen aren't too happy about being in the spot light.
Cell Picture Of Undercover Officer Sparks Arrest
Randy Dean Sievert drew ire from Manatee County sheriff's deputies as he aimed his cell phone camera at undercover investigators executing a search warrant in his neighborhood. A deputy confronted Sievert, demanding that he destroy any photos of investigators and their vehicles. ... Sievert refused to remove his hands from his pockets and step away from his car after he was confronted about the pictures. Deputies forced him to the ground. The 20-year-old unemployed Bradenton man was arrested on a misdemeanor obstruction charge. Investigators could not access the images on the phone. Sievert "finally" gave up a code that allowed deputies to find and destroy a photo that showed two undercover vehicles, according to reports. The phone is in evidence but not the photograph. Sievert's obstruction case is attracting criticism in the legal community. Some defense attorneys say Sievert was unlawfully arrested and forced to destroy a photograph authorities had no grounds to erase.
Randy Dean Sievert drew ire from Manatee County sheriff's deputies as he aimed his cell phone camera at undercover investigators executing a search warrant in his neighborhood.
A deputy confronted Sievert, demanding that he destroy any photos of investigators and their vehicles.
...
Sievert refused to remove his hands from his pockets and step away from his car after he was confronted about the pictures. Deputies forced him to the ground. The 20-year-old unemployed Bradenton man was arrested on a misdemeanor obstruction charge.
Investigators could not access the images on the phone. Sievert "finally" gave up a code that allowed deputies to find and destroy a photo that showed two undercover vehicles, according to reports. The phone is in evidence but not the photograph.
Sievert's obstruction case is attracting criticism in the legal community. Some defense attorneys say Sievert was unlawfully arrested and forced to destroy a photograph authorities had no grounds to erase.
You'll notice I left out a paragraph. The reason is because it has nothing to do with the story insofar as it casts a bad light on Mr. Sievert. To be sure, Mr. Sievert sounds like scum of the Earth, but that part is irrelevant to the facts at hand.
Look, I love my father dearly and want him to come home every night, but as a police officer his job is one of risk. For the police, the only way to lower the risk is to allow them greater and greater authority to violate our rights. A police state is necessary to keep the police safe which has the exact opposite effect on the citizenry.
There is nothing wrong with video taping, photographing, recording or any sort of documenting of those who we give authority. The entire system of freedom we enjoy here in America is based on not only separating powers, but often putting those powers at odds with each other to ensure that checks and balance are maintained. The citizenry should have unfettered rights to record those in power to ensure that abuses of power are brought to daylight. Sunlight, being the best disinfectant and all.
But here, we see the police not liking the spot light being shined on them. Undercover cops lead a risky life, but the only way to protect them perfectly is to violate the rights of everyone else? I'm sorry, I just don't buy into it.
We need to force our public representatives (not leaders. We don't elect leaders in this country) to be open. Every meeting, every phone call, emails, everything. When I give you the power to make laws that affect my life, you damn well better be crossing all your T's and dotting all your I's. Just like I have no expectation of privacy in public, those in public jobs should have the same expectations, which is to say "none".
Yes, there will be exceptions such as national security, and that is something that has to be worked out to keep checks and balances in place too, but it should require a little work to get something closed off. But for the most part, daily stuff should be open to the public.
What's even more depressing is the comments to the linked article. People are more concerned that Mr. Sievert is a thug and therefor who gives a damn if his rights are violated? They're the police for Pete's sake, they should be allowed to break the law! What they fail to see is that their rights will be violated just as easily since they didn't speak up for someone they didn't feel deserved rights.
Who will watch the watchmen, then?