A Maryland police officer in an unmarked car pulls a gun on a motorcyclist without identifying himself. The motorcyclist takes the traffic violation ticket then posts the video on youtube. The Maryland state police charged the motorcyclist with “wiretapping” because he “secretly recorded a police officer.” He now faces a $15000 bail, 5 years jail time, and a $10,000 fine. In addition, the police confiscated (stole) every computer and camera in his house. Although his camera was obviously placed on top of his helmet, making the charges irrelevant, the fact that it is illegal to videotape a government offical is disturbing.

News Coverage / Backstory:

Motorcyclist’s Youtube Channel With Video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/nikotyc#p/a/u/1/BHjjF55M8JQ

Maryland State Police Dept. Website:

http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/23dsp/html/dsp.html

Before you jump on the bandwagon, it’s already been dealt with but the video remains on Youtube and so people will continue to rage.  Here is why it should die thanks to someone that lives local to it all:

[pullquote author="Anonymous, Maryland, USA"]IM FROM MD. this is old as fuck and all charges were dropped except for the reckless driving and the judge even said “Those of us who are public officials and are entrusted with the power of the state are ultimately accountable to the public. When we exercise that power in public fora, we should not expect our actions to be shielded from public observation. ‘Sed quis custodiet ipsos cutodes’ (“Who watches the watchmen?”).”[/pullquote]