filming in federal buildings inside post office

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“A man who shot a video of the interior of Village Hall has sparked the Board of Trustees to unanimously pass a resolution that prohibits video and photography in the village’s office building without consent, a move that has at least one resident concerned that village officials are violating First Amendment rights. 15, 2022: Man ‘tests’ First Amendment village responds by restricting video District Court for the Southern District of New York by LatinoJustice PRLDEF on behalf of Reyes, states that the policy prohibiting recording and photography within precincts violates New York law and “chills the First Amendment rights of those who refrain from recording and denies the First Amendment rights of those who choose to exercise them in the publicly accessible areas of NYPD facilities.”ĭec. Reyes recorded the interaction until he was put in handcuffs. Reyes was recording when two NYPD officers advised him that recording was prohibited, referring to a sign posted in the lobby. In April, Reyes was arrested after he recorded in the lobby of the 61st Precinct in Brooklyn while waiting to file a complaint. Over the past two years, independent journalist SeanPaul Reyes has acted as a so-called First Amendment “auditor” - someone who specifically films on public property and police stations to test the rights to record in a public space - and has garnered over 500,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, Long Island Audit.

2, 2023: First Amendment Auditor Sues NYPD After Arrest for Filming Inside Precinct LobbyĪ journalist who was arrested for recording inside of a New York Police Department precinct sued the city July 24, claiming a department policy violates state law and his First Amendment right to record police. But some encounters have escalated dramatically, resulting in arrest and litigation.įor a teaching guide on the rights and limitations of recording audio and video of police, click on the box below. Many audits are non-violent and uneventful. An uneventful audit is akin to “passing a test,” while a confrontational audit, usually an attempt by an employee to interfere with the filming, gets a failing grade. The audits, often posted to YouTube, have become a form of activism: individuals stake out a public facility and record the location and any interactions with staff and the public.

#FILMING IN FEDERAL BUILDINGS INSIDE POST OFFICE HOW TO#

But a growing movement of self-described “First Amendment Auditors”-individuals who specifically film on public property and police stations to test the rights to film in a public space-has forced some police departments to review how to respond to First Amendment audits.

Senate.”ĬNN has reached out to Maese-Czeropski and has not received a response.ĬNN also reached out to the US Capitol Police, which said it “cannot confirm details regarding the people in the video” but “are aware and looking into this.” CNN also reached out to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office but has not heard back.Filmed interactions with police that make headlines or spread on social media is not a new phenomenon. “I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters,” Maese-Czeropski wrote.Ĭardin’s office later released a statement announcing that Maese-Czeropski is “no longer employed by the U.S.

While some of my actions in the past have shown poor judgement, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace.

In the statement, Maese-Czeropski said, in part, “This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda. CNN reached out to Cardin’s office and was directed to a statement posted by Aidan Maese-Czeropski on LinkedIn. The Daily Caller reported the staffer worked for Democratic Sen. Police are “looking into” the video, which was obtained and published by the Daily Caller.ĬNN has not independently obtained the video nor confirmed the identity of those purportedly involved. A Senate staffer is out of a job after the publication of a video appearing to show two men having sex in a Senate hearing room.

Filming in federal buildings inside post office