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The Straight Story

(48,121 posts) Tue Jul 16, 2013, 03:51 PM Jul 2013

Police launch investigations after arrest of photographer (filming police)

Detroit police and the department’s internal affairs officers have launched investigations following the arrest of a Free Press photographer who was filming a police action on a public street last week.

Police said they are looking into the conduct of photographer Mandi Wright and the actions of an officer who ordered her to stop filming and wrestled her phone away from her. They also are looking into the disappearance of a memory card from her newspaper-issued iPhone and whether she was briefly left alone with the crime suspect whom she had been filming.

Wright, 47, was arrested Thursday after she and a reporter came upon an arrest scene near Woodbridge and Riopelle, east of downtown. Police at the scene said Wright tussled with an officer after he had confiscated her iPhone; Wright said that she was concentrating on taking her video and did not realize the man who grabbed her phone was a police officer. Wright was handcuffed and later, she said, put in an interrogation room with the suspect.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig confirmed Monday that an internal affairs investigation is being conducted. Deputy Chief James Tolbert said no conclusions have been drawn, but if that investigation verifies that she was put into a room with the suspect and then left alone, “that could be a serious breach of department policy.”

http://www.freep.com/article/20130716/NEWS01/307160018/photographer-free-press-mandi-wright-video-arrested

12 replies

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Highlight:

Police launch investigations after arrest of photographer (filming police) (Original Post) The Straight Story Jul 2013 OP

police are never your friend nt msongs Jul 2013 #1

There will be live streaming from cell phones generally available before the end of the year. Xipe Totec Jul 2013 #2

i have wondered about that arely staircase Jul 2013 #4

It's already here... backscatter712 Jul 2013 #11

Does an iPhone have a removable memory card? Jenoch Jul 2013 #3

I noted the same thing ..... oldhippie Jul 2013 #6

Even though I run the risk of Jenoch Jul 2013 #9

My problem with explanations of law ..... oldhippie Jul 2013 #10

Hmmmmm... tazkcmo Jul 2013 #5

yay, cops. KG Jul 2013 #7

WTF, the press can't film in America? Eddie Haskell Jul 2013 #8

Data Wars: Who can collect it? Who can use it? Who can stop it? DirkGently Jul 2013 #12

msongs

(67,459 posts)

1. police are never your friend nt

Reply to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 03:53 PM

Jul 2013

Xipe Totec

(43,890 posts)

2. There will be live streaming from cell phones generally available before the end of the year.

Reply to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 04:03 PM

Jul 2013

After that, they can do whatever they want to the phone, the video is already out there, live, and viral.

arely staircase

(12,482 posts)

4. i have wondered about that

Reply to Xipe Totec (Reply #2)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 04:07 PM

Jul 2013

that means when one gets pulled over it is possible tot start live streaming the stop, leaving anny bad apple cops powerless to abuse you or violate your rights withou a record being made they have no power to destroy.

backscatter712

(26,355 posts)

11. It's already here...

Reply to Xipe Totec (Reply #2)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 07:15 PM

Jul 2013

Try UStream, or try Openwatch - Social Muckraking

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ale.openwatch&hl=en

Jenoch

(7,720 posts)

3. Does an iPhone have a removable memory card?

Reply to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 04:03 PM

Jul 2013

oldhippie

(3,249 posts)

6. I noted the same thing .....

Reply to Jenoch (Reply #3)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 04:15 PM

Jul 2013

.... and just considered it another case of lousy, inaccurate journalism.

It has gotten to the point that everything they report on where I have some expertise, they get it wrong. I have to assume they get everything else wrong also. I just can't trust news reports anymore.

Jenoch

(7,720 posts)

9. Even though I run the risk of

Reply to oldhippie (Reply #6)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 05:17 PM

Jul 2013

offending someone reading this, most reporters get the details wrong when it comes to firearms, hell, the cops get those details wrong too.

I would like an explanaition of the law on video recording police actions in public locations. It is my understanding that some states and other jurisdictions have passed laws making this activity illegal. If that is the case, I wish the ACLU would find a good case to take on.

oldhippie

(3,249 posts)

10. My problem with explanations of law .....

Reply to Jenoch (Reply #9)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 06:37 PM

Jul 2013

... is that they will vary all over the map depending on who you are talking to, where, and when. No matter what the law says in black and white, in seemingly unambiguous terms, lawyers and judges will argue over what it says and what it means. In actuality, the law is whatever the last judge that ruled on it says it is, unless and until it gets overturned by another judge. Even the lawyers and the judges will disagree on almost every issue.

I actually took law courses for two semesters back in the 80's. I thought I wanted to get a law degree. But after the first year the crazy inconsistency of what was supposed to be a very rule bound field just drove my little engineer's brain nuts. I went back to B-school and got a second MBA (in finance) instead. It was a much better match to my brain.

tazkcmo

(7,303 posts)

5. Hmmmmm...

Reply to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jul 16, 2013, 04:10 PM

Jul 2013

Deputy Chief James Tolbert said no conclusions have been drawn, but if that investigation verifies that she was put into a room with the suspect and then left alone, “that could be a serious breach of department policy.”

The chief went on to say, "We're pretty cool with the rest."