Tape the cops, go to jail.

[d_goddard]

I recently moved to NH (Merrimack), and I've haven't had a reason to write the state legislators here yet... but this story pisses me off so much, I sure as hell will be writing them now. Thanks for posting the link to nhfree.com on slashdot. I think I might like it here.

This story made it to Slashdot:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/29/188221

Woo-hoooo!
Thank you for proving my "let's get the word out on Slashdot" strategy is a good one!

Please, hang out here. Browse around. We are pissed off about the government having waaay to much power -- and we're doing stuff, not just complaining! We can use your help!

[Dreepa]

I recently moved to NH (Merrimack), and I've haven't had a reason to write the state legislators here yet... but this story pisses me off so much, I sure as hell will be writing them now. Thanks for posting the link to nhfree.com on slashdot. I think I might like it here.

This story made it to Slashdot:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/29/188221

Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to NH.
Have you moved since Oct 2003? 
www.pledgebank.com/first1000

[Punt3r]

I recently moved to NH (Merrimack), and I've haven't had a reason to write the state legislators here yet... but this story pisses me off so much, I sure as hell will be writing them now. Thanks for posting the link to nhfree.com on slashdot. I think I might like it here.

This story made it to Slashdot:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/29/188221

Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to NH.
Have you moved since Oct 2003? 
www.pledgebank.com/first1000

Yup. Just moved in on May 1 of this year.

Here's my letter. I want to sound reasonable, and it really doesn't reflect just how pissed off this sort of thing makes me (~trying to control anger~need to hit buttons that even republicans will respond to~).

Stole some of the points from another slashdotter's comments. I don't really know how far to push for allowing individuals to willy-nilly record everything in sight; need to search my feelings there a bit more. But I definitely want to get across the point that recording the POLICE performing their duty IN PUBLIC should NEVER be a crime, and that the law (at least as the police are trying to apply it), sucks.

I'm using http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/whosmyleg/default.asp to identify names/addresses my legislators (man, there's quite a number of em aren't there?). Is the state's website generally considered accurate/up-to-date?

---

Dear Senator Roberge,

I was very upset by a recent incident in Nashua, in which a man was charged with violating state wiretap laws when he used the evidence from a security camera on his own doorstep to complain about the behavior of the local police force. (The individual in question is Michael Gannon of Nashua; the date of the incident was Tuesday, June 27, 2006).

   1.  The police are public servants. Not only should it be legal to videotape them, it should be encouraged as part of citizen oversight.

   2. These public servants are representatives of the state while performing their duties. And the state should always consent to being recorded, while performing their duties in public. Citizens should be able to count on that consent. The police routinely record their own activities, the citizenry should be given the opportunity to do the same.

   3. The police do not appear to have behaved in a reasonable manner. Their behavior makes the public question their trustworthiness, which makes it even more important that citizen oversight of their activities be protected.

   4. The police department has complained that Mr Gannon was rude to them. While I believe that is probably true, the officers' behavior does not seem appropriate either. While neither party may be in the right morally, Mr. Gannon has a constitutional right to free speech; while the police should restrain their behavior while they are on duty because they are representatives of the State.

  5. Security cameras are a daily part of our lives. While it's important for the state to have a wiretap law, and protect against unauthorized images and sounds from being recorded in "private places" (especially bathrooms, bedrooms, changing rooms, etc), both the citizens and the state need to be able to protect themselves. Recording devices are clearly a common type of protection widely used today, and the laws need to reflect that. At the very least, the police should never try to hide their activities using this law.

Thank you for your time in considering these comments.

Sincerely,
yada-yada-yada

[d_goddard]

Way to go, Pun3r! You've just taken your first step into making NH more Free
Yes, the info on the State "whoismyleg" webpage is kept up-to-date.

You're lucky -- Roberge is usually on the pro-Freedom side. Be nice to her.
You might want to go ahead and just call her up (as long as it's before 9:00 PM)
You may be interested to know, however, that Roberge is one of the Senators that used underhanded, slimy tactics to try and track all us NH residents like sheep or cattle. Use this against her!
http://freestateblogs.net/realdeceit

[FTL_Ian]

Mr. Gannon is on the line right now, hope he holds through the news break.

Thank you Money Dollars, you are the man.

[slim]

I wonder if the state of NH would arrest the NSA for taping NH residents?

[TackleTheWorld]

Whoa!
Mr Gannon said the police seized his house and didn't let his family in for hours while they waited for a warrant!

Grrrrr!

[d_goddard]

My slashdot post has been moderated to +5, the maximum rating!!!
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=189918&cid=15630515

Thousands of people are probably hitting NHFree.com right now.
Gosh, I hope we can stand up to all the traffic!

[Dreepa]

Someone on slashdot is asking for the video.... MD..... can you get that video?  Or did the police take it?

[president]

That is the main reason I went.
The police took it.

[Lex]

Mr Gannon took his only copy to the police station? 

[president]

No. The police went to his house and "seized" it by forcing everyone out, and would not let them return until the police got a search warrant at 2am, and took the other video and the cameras.....

After the police arrested the Gannons? sons, Janet Gannon said, they ?secured? the house, and told her and her sister-in-law they had to stay out of it from around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday until about 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Police said they were waiting to get a warrant to search the house, Janet Gannon said.

?They were waiting for a warrant to seize the cameras and the tapes in my house . . . because they said having these cameras was against the law. They?re security cameras,? she said, adding, ?They said they could do that. They could seize my apartment.?

[tracysaboe]

He should have released it to the media instead.

Tracy

[president]

The police also did not take his complaint.

I went to the NPD after I talked to Mr. Gannon and did some research on filing a complaint and guns 

[Lex]

Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy about the cops, don't it?