The recent arrest of a self-proclaimed constitutional rights activist who refused to give his name to Cranston police has put the department in the sights of a feisty online movement that records video of encounters with police officers.

CRANSTON, R.I. — The recent arrest of a self-proclaimed constitutional-rights activist who refused to give his name to Cranston police has put the department in the sights of a feisty online movement that takes videos of its encounters with police officers.

Following the Sept. 2 arrest of 32-year-old Anselmo E. Morales-Torres, the stream of complaints — including those made over the telephone — has nearly disrupted the department’s operations.

On YouTube, more than 1,000 comments are linked to various excerpts of video that the Providence man made when he recorded outside the headquarters of the Rhode Island National Guard and refused to answer a police officer’s questions.

Morales-Torres and his online supporters argue that the police hassled him, trampling on his right to take video on a public sidewalk without identifying himself. Authorities point out that the sidewalk was outside a military facility, which is a restricted area. For that reason, they say, Morales-Torres’ activity was suspicious and police had the right to ask him for identification.

The case raises a collection of issues, including older conflicts regarding civil liberties and security that emerged in the post-9/11 era.

The arrest also highlights a new law-enforcement landscape in which the actions of police officers are increasingly recorded on video.

Morales-Torres’s recording shows him refusing to cooperate with Cranston Officer Andrea P. Comella during an initial exchange, even after she tells him he faces a potential obstruction of justice charge if he refuses to give his name.

“If he had complied,” said Cranston Police Chief Michael J. Winquist, “he would have been sent on his way.”

“I think she did an excellent job,” Winquist added.

Comella eventually charged Morales-Torres with obstruction of justice and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty Thursday in District Court, Warwick, during a proceeding that was recorded on video by activists from out of state.

Morales-Torres has a criminal record in Florida that includes conviction on a felony domestic-assault charge.

In Cranston, his brush with the law begins at the National Guard facility with his repeated trips up and down the sidewalk near the front gate, aiming his smartphone's camera at the fence. He described his activity as a “First Amendment audit” that would test the facility’s compliance with the Constitution.

He continues the activity after security guards, who work for a contractor, tell him he cannot record.

Later, Morales-Torres tells Comella that he is not obliged to provide identification unless he is suspected of a crime.

“Well, until I can determine that you are not committing a crime, I’m going to ask you for your ID,” Comella says.

As the recorded exchange continues to unfold, Comella tells the suspect he is behaving oddly in front of a government facility. She is investigating, she says, and he must tell her his name.

“Let’s not make this a bigger thing than we have to,” she says.

Morales-Torres says he is an investigative journalist gathering content while repeatedly refusing to identify himself further. Comella eventually tells him the situation will “rise to the level of obstruction of justice” if he does not name himself.

“I’m a public citizen on a public sidewalk recording a public building,” Morales-Torres says. “Unless you’re suspecting me of committing any crimes than I suggest you to treat me …”

At this point, Comella moves toward him and grabs his arm, telling him she “is patting him down” for her safety.

In her report, she writes that Morales-Torres had been “blading the right side of his body away from where I had observed a bulge in his right pocket” as if he had a concealed knife. No weapons were found, the report says.

In the video, Morales-Torres clings to his phone and protests the pat-down. Comella repeatedly orders him to put down his phone. Her report says Morales-Torres' loud antics drew people from their homes and caused a disturbance.

A witness, whose name is redacted from the report, told the police he had seen a man talking to the officer, sitting on the curb, “getting louder and waving his arms and making a scene.”

A chunk of Morales-Torres’ video, nearly four minutes in length, was later posted on YouTube by Freedom News Now. An entity with that same name has performed what it describes as "First Amendment Audits” around the country.

A longstanding Rhode Island General Law says a police officer can demand identification from a person who is reasonably suspected of committing a crime.

Both the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, Steven Brown, and the director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at the Roger Williams School of Law, Andrew Horwitz, said that they were not aware of any requirement that police disclose the specific thing that makes them suspicious.

The law says an officer can detain a person for not providing identification for up to two hours, but cannot arrest him or her for not providing identification.

During such a detention, a person can refuse to answer questions, Horwitz said.

In an interview Thursday, Morales-Torres, of 25 Matson Ave., Providence, said that he was not trying to get arrested, as Winquist asserted.

"I don't go out looking for trouble," he said.

Winquist said he supports the officer’s “excellent” handling of the incident, noting her efforts to deescalate the situation.

Citing safety concerns, Winquist declined to identify the officer by name. The Providence Journal obtained Comella's name from the police report.

Winquist also emphasized that the officer could not simply drive away from someone taking footage and behaving oddly outside a military facility.

The restrictions on photography in the area of the military facility are federal laws not enforced by Cranston police, but the officer had a responsibility to question Morales Torres, Winquist said, adding that the FBI has been notified of the incident.

A spokesman for the Rhode Island National Guard, Maj. Jeffrey Lessard, said that while the headquarters is frequently photographed, the prohibitions posted on the gate are longstanding and in force just as they are at many other military properties around the country. For security reasons, the facility can’t casually dismiss people who take photos or act strangely outside the fence, Lessard said.

Meanwhile, the Cranston Police Department has fielded a heavy volume of calls, often complaints, from across the country related to the incident, Winquist said.

Activists are trying to intimidate the department, he said, adding that “derogatory” and threatening comments about the officer have been posted online.

“It’s borderline disruptive to our operations,” he said on Tuesday. “We do not appreciate the veiled threats that we’ve received.”

“We will not be intimidated,” he said.