ExCop-Lawyer Uncategorized camera, Cellphone, First Amendment to the United States Constitution, Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Newark California, Photographer, Photography is not a crime, police, Police officer, Shannon Todd, Tony Heckman

Here we go again.

Another California police officer has to inspect a cellphone to make sure that it’s not a gun. Haven’t we gone over this before, both here and at PINAC?

In this case, a female officer, Detective Shannon Todd, of the Newark Police gang unit first tells the photographer to put the phone in his pocket, and then when he informs her that he doesn’t need to do that, she says she needs to hold the phone. When the photographer refuses, she asks to inspect it to make sure that it’s not a firearm. When he shows her that it is recording, she is still not satisfied and tells him to put his hands behind his back, and the first video ends. During this time, her partner, Detective Tony Heckman, is dealing with the others that were there.

Next, after she has apparently inspected the phone, part 2 of the video comes up and the individual asks for her badge number. She gives it to him, then immediately asks for his ID. He refuses, stating he hasn’t done anything wrong, and she tells him to sit down or leave. The individual, who has a YouTube channel (Newark ENT) then asks why he has to leave a public park. At this point a third officer, apparently in patrol, tells him he was given a “lawful” order and he has to leave.

He asks the officer on what grounds, and the patrol officer tells him he’s “interfering” with their investigation. The individual then asks what they were doing wrong and the officer tells him that he doesn’t get to ask the officers questions. The rest of the video is fairly uneventful, along with part 3.

Both of the gang unit officers are in blue jeans with a police shirt, which has never made much sense. If the officers were plainclothes, jeans are fine, but they are not good for police work. One of the other things I noticed was that Heckman is wearing a thigh holster, a practice that was picked up from the military and is pretty much useless for police work.

An officer can not execute a fast draw from a thigh holster near as effectively as from a good belt mounted holster, and it is much more difficult to retain the weapon if you are fighting someone for it. There are good reasons for some in the military to carry it in that manner (dealing more with flak jackets, equipment vests, etc.), but not for police use. Of course young officers want it because it looks cool and shows their military macho.

Finally, there have still been absolutely zero cellphone guns found, used, or recovered in the United States.