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Re:RateOurCops – Like Yelp, but for Cops by leesalminen on Friday July 02, 2021 @04:59PM (#27716782)
IANAL, however my understanding is that the First Amendment protects ones’ ability to record police officers in public when acting in an official capacity.

I suppose the Supreme Court will have to rule on the issue of blurring our badge numbers during the course of a protected activity.

But this does seem related to the constitution through the First Amendment.

Re:RateOurCops – Like Yelp, but for Cops by munk-a on Friday July 02, 2021 @05:43PM (#27717298)
I think it'd really depend on whether this communication was framed as being from a private organization against the public organization or against the private individual of the officer's own person. And even then it'd likely get mired in a lot of concerns about public safety.

One of the more sane elevated rights police officers have long enjoyed is the right to extreme privacy - their phone numbers and addresses are unlisted by default and sharing the private information of an officer with malicious intent carries a more serious penalty than an equivalent action against a regular individual. Police officers face an elevated level of danger in their personal lives from persons they've arrested or interacted with - if you could spin this website as providing information that makes it easier to identify and harass problematic officers (even if they deserve a significant amount of scrutiny) you'll likely have a strong case to have the site shutdown.

Re:RateOurCops – Like Yelp, but for Cops by rmah on Friday July 02, 2021 @08:48PM (#27718445)
One of the more sane elevated rights police officers have long enjoyed is the right to extreme privacy - their phone numbers and addresses are unlisted by default and sharing the private information of an officer with malicious intent carries a more serious penalty than an equivalent action against a regular individual.

Most people these days seem to be confused about what the term "secret police" means. It doesn't mean a police forces that the public don't know exists. It means a police force that has as some of its members, people whos identities are secret. You know, like the NKVD or STASI.

I was taught as a kid 30 years ago, during the cold war, that having a secret police was a key indicator of an oppressive regime. What you describe as "sane elevated rights" was something I was taught that we needed to fight tooth and nail, possibly with nuclear weapons.

I guess times change. Sometimes I feel like crying.

Re:RateOurCops – Like Yelp, but for Cops by WoahNoun on Friday July 02, 2021 @05:54PM (#27717407)
Sounds pretty cowardly and against the principle of community policing.