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In a US federal civil rights lawsuit, a Connecticut man has shared footage to bolster his claims that police illegally confronted the pedestrian because he was filming one of them. Authorities seized Michael Picard's camera and his permitted pistol, and the officers involved then accidentally recorded themselves allegedly fabricating charges against the man.
Picard's police encounter began as he was protesting a sobriety checkpoint while lawfully carrying a handgun in a holster. The plaintiff often protests near sobriety checkpoints in the Hartford region and is known by locals and police in the area, according to court documents. "Cops Ahead: Keep Calm and Remain Silent," read the 3-foot-by-2-foot sign Picard held up to motorists ahead of the checkpoint in West Hartford last year.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 23 2016, @04:45PM
"a bit questionable in terms of the constitutionality of it."
checkpoints are not "a bit questionable", you bootlicker.
(Score: 1) by Francis on Saturday September 24 2016, @12:45AM
So, you think they're completely acceptable then?
Bottom line here is that they are typically avoidable and they do still have to establish that they have the right for further searches. They don't just stop a line of cars and go through them with a fine tooth comb for violations.
So yes, they are questionable. It all comes down to how they're handled. Publish a notification that they're going to happen and where they're going to be and there's no particular problem.