Videoing members of the public

Random

Watching shows like Road Wars they pull someone over. The police have their video crew with them. The guy they pull over asks them to stop filming. The police officer gets thick and says they're filming in a public place and "tough".

Something seems wrong with this to me. Fair enough, you're filming in a public place BUT you've just pulled the guy over and he doesn't have the option to walk away and not be filmed.

Can anyone help me out with what I'm missing here?

metman

When you bear in mind that its not the police filming the public, its a private citizen filming another private citizen in a public place blah blah blah all becomes clear...

deadwood

I thought people had to sign some kind of release for this kind of stuff or at least have their images pixall, pixil, blocked out?

If the Garda version gets off the ground here, there'll be solicitors letters by the busload into RTE.

Random

(please correct me if wrong)

The guy doing the videoing is attached to the police unit and acting under their supervision.

In general if one public citizen is videoing another then the person being recorded has the option to walk away. If the guy with the video follows is this not a form of harrassment?

So what the police are doing is forcing someone to be videoed?

(Just to clarify .. not trying to have a dig at the police etc, just trying to work out what's happening here).

timmywex

Its filming in a public place, so nothing wrong....

if you had to have everyone sign, itd be a case of everyone patched out when being shown on the news or a whole load of paper work either!

Tipsy Mac

As far as I know the way it's done is the culprits face is pixilated if there's a court case pending in relation to the crime shown but if the person has been found guilty their face is shown.

Thoie

I'm with Random (and also not complaining about the police, just puzzled).

If I'm on Grafton St, and someone's there with a camcorder, I can turn my back, walk away and generally get out of the shot.

If I'm on Grafton St being questioned by the police, and someone's videoing it, how do you think the police would react if I walk away, turn my back etc? Even if I'm only asking them for directions, I don't want to be filmed, but in this situation apparently have no choice in the matter, and no say in whether it can be aired or not?

metman

I think deadwood probably hit the nail on the head that the majority of persons that appear on such shows have given their permission to be shown. On the other hand if you were adamant you didn't want to be filmed, and made this very clear to the police, they would little choice but to tell the camera crew to back off. I've also seen this happen on such shows.

Jay112

Random wrote: »

Watching shows like Road Wars they pull someone over. The police have their video crew with them. The guy they pull over asks them to stop filming. The police officer gets thick and says they're filming in a public place and "tough".

Something seems wrong with this to me. Fair enough, you're filming in a public place BUT you've just pulled the guy over and he doesn't have the option to walk away and not be filmed.

Can anyone help me out with what I'm missing here?

Im sure the Police have this well researched before they filmed it

TheNog

I would have thought it would be the other way round in that if a person said they didn't want their face visible on the film they would have to request that to be so either verbally or in writing.

Random

Jay112 wrote: »

Im sure the Police have this well researched before they filmed it

I'm sure they do, as clearly they "get away with it". I'm just trying to understand how?

TheNog wrote: »

I would have thought it would be the other way round in that if a person said they didn't want their face visible on the film they would have to request that to be so either verbally or in writing.

I hate this. Things should be opt in and not opt out !

IRISH RAIL

but when you see these people saying get that camera out of my face the cops say its a public place and he has an entitlement to film

oh and they arrest the twat for public order

Trojan911

IRISH RAIL wrote: »

but when you see these people saying get that camera out of my face the cops say its a public place and he has an entitlement to film

Except when the coin is flipped & the great unwashed start filming/photgraphing officers. It's a different story then.

I would object to being filmed if I was stopped & if push came to shove (not physically, of course) I would pull out my camera & dictaphone & return the same.

opti76

Trojan911 wrote: »

Except when the coin is flipped & the great unwashed start filming/photgraphing officers. It's a different story then.

I would object to being filmed if I was stopped & if push came to shove (not physically, of course) I would pull out my camera & dictaphone & return the same.

thats fair enough but if you whip out ur phone and start recording and u end up getting arrested for an offence then be prepared for your phone to be confiscated and used as evidece in a court case.. DPP vs Braddish

same gors for anyone that records a garda arresting someone.. if you whip out ur phone and start recording it then it can be taken

Trojan911

opti76 wrote: »

and u end up getting arrested for an offence then

That just won't happen..... trust me. But that aside, if a person objects to being deliberately filmed/photographed in a public place then his/her wishes must be respected irrespective whether it is the Sheriff or a MOP.

Random

I'd really rather keep talk of the public videoing Gardai to another thread as I really don't think it's related here.

A person does not have the power to stop a Garda and question him while a camera is pointed at him. A Garda has the power to stop a person and question them while a camera is trained on them it would appear.

kwalsh000

As far as I know it is opt out in most cases and the request needs to be made or as said before if there are proceedings against them at the time if filming then they have to be blurred.

I do find it very strange how people (not anyone here, just making a point) about being filmed when they have committed an offence during the course of a documentary, yet they will harass Gardai and other police constantly with video cameras of all sorts and at times try to provoke the response they want while the officer is doing his job, yet moan when it happens to them. Just my 2c

opti76

Random wrote: »

I'd really rather keep talk of the public videoing Gardai to another thread as I really don't think it's related here.

A person does not have the power to stop a Garda and question him while a camera is pointed at him. A Garda has the power to stop a person and question them while a camera is trained on them it would appear.

how u referenced road wars which is an english program...

were in ireland different laws..

Random

opti76 wrote: »

how u referenced road wars which is an english program...

were in ireland different laws..

Sorry, let's stick with Road Wars / UK police type scenario. Ignore my reference to the Garda.

Eru

Thoie wrote: »

there with a camcorder, I can turn my back, walk away and generally get out of the shot.

If I'm on Grafton St being questioned by the police, and someone's videoing it, how do you think the police would react if I walk away, turn my back etc? Even if I'm only asking them for directions, I don't want to be filmed, but in this situation apparently have no choice in the matter, and no say in whether it can be aired or not?

I agree with this but alas, public place means they can tape you. There are limits (IE signs telling you the shop has CCTV, etc) which I have looked into but it seems to be a bit messy and Im not reading it all again