By Police1 Staff
WILMINGTON, N.C. — A police chief said he wants citizens to exercise their rights in response to a viral video of a sergeant telling an Uber driver and attorney it was illegal to record cops.
Jesse Bright was pulled over by Sgt. Kenneth Becker on Feb. 26 after police said he brought an Uber passenger to a drug house that was under surveillance, the Washington Post reported. The car was searched and nothing was found. Both men were eventually released without charges.
When Bright began recording the encounter, Becker told him it was illegal under a new law for citizens to film police.
“Be careful because there is a new law,” Becker said in the video. “Turn it off or I’ll take you to jail.”
Bright, who drives for Uber to pay off his law school loans, works full-time as a criminal defense attorney. He said he kept recording because, from his legal experience, it helps reduce confusion in court.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, the publication reported. Police Chief Ralph Evangelous said in a statement on the department’s Facebook page that taking photos and videos of people in plain sight, including police, is a legal right.
“As a matter of fact we invite citizens to do so when they believe it is necessary,” the statement read. “We believe that public videos help to protect the police as well as our citizens and provide critical information during police and citizen interaction.”
Sheriff Ed McMahon told WWAY the department has reviewed the video and the deputy was wrong and has been counseled.
“Not only does the Sheriff agree that it is legal to record encounters, he invites citizens to do so,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
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