The police chief in Wilmington, North Carolina, has publicly lambasted one of his officers. The officer recently pulled over a local attorney moonlighting as an Uber driver and told the driver that he could not film the traffic stop.
“Taking photographs and videos of people that are in plain sight, including the police, is your legal right,” Chief Ralph Evangelous said in a Wednesday statement published on the department’s Facebook page. “As a matter of fact, we invite citizens to do so when they believe it is necessary. We believe that public videos help to protect the police as well as our citizens and provide critical information during police and citizen interaction.”
The statement concluded: “A copy of this statement will be disseminated to every officer within the Wilmington Police Department.”
During the February 26 traffic stop, Jesse Bright began filming Sgt. Kenneth Becker when he and other law enforcement officers approached his car.
“Turn it off or I’ll take you to jail,” Becker said.
“For recording you?” Bright retorted. “What is the law?”
The officers were unable to cite him the “new law,” as it does not exist.
Bright told the News & Observer that officers had pulled him over because he had come from a “known drug house” that was under surveillance. Eventually Bright, his passenger, and Bright’s car were searched. Nothing was found.
Bright did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for an interview.