So. Fla. Cop: “We Can Videotape You, But You Don’t Have The Right To Videotape Us”

Carlos Miller
Pixiq.com
September 17, 2011

In a police force of less than 20 officers, it’s probably not that difficult to be named Officer of the Month.

Take Golden Beach police officer Robert Ruggiero – who was recently named Officer of the Month in this tiny town on the northeast corner of Miami-Dade – a one-mile stretch of road on the county border notorious for its speed traps.

Ruggiero confronted a citizen the other day who was recording him during a traffic stop, so he informed the citizen that recording cops without their consent is a felony in Florida.

Ruggiero was so convinced of this myth that he even happily provided his name and badge number to the citizen, urging him to take that to his lawyer.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

Turns out, the citizen is a Miami-based contributor to Cop Block and a regular Photography is Not a Crime reader. He knows exactly what his rights are.

And now he wants Ruggiero to learn as well.

To see the actual incident, start the video at the 2:15 mark where you’ll hear Ruggiero say the following:

“It’s a felony in the state of Florida to videotape an officer at a traffic stop,” he said.

“You see, the law says that we can videotape you, but you don’t have the right to videotape us without our consent or record us.”

This article was posted: Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 3:25 pm

---

---

---

---