Police Take Camera Away from Protestor, which Records their Conversation about Framing Him

On September 11, 2015, Michael Picard protested near a Connecticut police DUI checkpoint, his camera rolling.

One police officer, John Barone, took Picard’s camera and lawfully-carried gun.

There was one complication: the camera was rolling.  Unbeknownst to Barone, his conversation with fellow troopers Patrick Torneo and John Jacobi was being recorded.   (And, of course, the footage subsequently went viral.)  The police called another officer to see if he had any “grudges” against the protester, they opened an investigation of him in the police database, and they discussed a separate protest at the state capitol in which they suspected him of participating.

“We gotta cover our ass,” said Barone.

“Let’s give him something,” said one of the other two.

The three officers decided to give this law-abiding protestor two criminal tickets.

Thanks to the rolling camera, these tickets were dismissed.  The ACLU helped Picard file suit against the three troopers, and “the State of Connecticut agreed to pay Picard approximately $1,800 for every minute that the defendants detained him (a total of $50,000), in exchange for his dismissing the lawsuit.”

In America, we have the right to protest without being charged with criminal activity.  So glad to see this case settle in a way that reinforces Connecticut’s commitment to the First Amendment.

But I’ll let Picard have the last word.

“In a free society, it is normal and necessary for people to protest the government, including police. If police violate people’s fundamental right to peacefully protest, those police employees should be held accountable. In addition to the human costs of poor police behavior, there can also be financial costs for taxpayers. I hope my story sends a message to police departments that they cannot ignore the Constitution without consequences,” he said.   

Hat Tip: The ACLU