Summary

The NYPD is constantly expanding the ways it watches New Yorkers, using tools ranging from facial recognition, to phone tracking, and even social media monitoring. But at the very moment the NYPD is watching the public more than ever, they are fighting against the public’s right to record officers.

In this report, we detail the ongoing legal effort to promote civilian’s right to record officers. In addition to detailing existing statutory and constitutional protections, we also highlight new safeguards that New York and other states can implement to protect bystanders who exercise their right to record.

Cellphone videos and other recordings can be a powerful check against police misconduct and violence, but only if the public can exercise its right to record in the tense moments where that evidence matters most.

Read the full report.