ATLANTA-- A federal judge has ordered sanctions against the Atlanta Police Department in a case involving the public's right to videotape and shoot pictures of officers at work.
It's from a 3-year-old case in which Felicia Anderson won a judgment against the city upholding a citizen's right to record police officers at work in public settings. But she later contended the city basically ignored the order. Wednesday, a judge agreed with her.
She filed her motion for sanctions against the city in the weeks following a series of protests in Atlanta following the uprisings in Ferguson Missouri. During one of those protests, Atlanta police arrested two news photographers, including 11Alive photographer Tyson Paul. In the 2012 case, the court had ordered APD to make it a firing offense if an officer interfered with what the court called a "citizen's right to record" police.
The court today ordered APD to implement that rule, train Atlanta police on it in the next 45 days or pay a fine of up to $20,000 per day if they don't. The court also ordered APD to videotape the training and give copies to Anderson's attorneys.
APD had contended that it was complying with the 2012 order.
