Do We Have a Right to Video Police Officers When They Interact with Us? [VIDEO]

Colorado state lawmakers are tackling a tough topic today.

Do citizens have the right to record interactions with the police? We've seen plenty of these types of videos. Someone sees things getting rough and they start to record video on their phone. Sometimes, it shows the cops are too rough. Other times it proves the citizen was being non-compliant.

One thing is for sure--adding video cameras to any situation can influence the events that actually happen. When an officer and the person they are dealing with know they are being recorded, they act differently.

We know this because in some parts of the country, police are sporting wearable video cameras. A recent study in Rialto, California showed that when law enforcement officers wear video cameras, the number of times they use force is lower and the amount of complaints against officers are fewer.

But, what about when an officer confronts me, a private citizen? Is it lawful for me to point my camera at them and record the interaction?

Yes. We have every right to record any and all of it, as long as it doesn't interfere with the police or their investigation. Reports of cops telling people they aren't allowed to record them, or seizing or even destroying their phones have led Rep. Joe Salazar, a Democrat from Thornton, to seek to make it so that cops can be punished if they interfere with the recording of their interactions.

You'll see plenty of videos on the web that show police directly informing citizens that they cannot record the proceedings. Some have even led to lawsuits that may cost some police departments a lot of money.

What do you think of this?