Should Videotaping the Police Really Be a Crime?

<img src="http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2010/1008/a_video_police_0802.jpg"alig... Magazine (http://www.time.com) reports that Anthony Graber, a Maryland Air National Guard staff sergeant, faces up to 16 years in prison. His crime? He videotaped his March encounter with a state trooper who pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle. Then Graber put the video — which could put the officer in a bad light — up on YouTube.

It doesn't sound like much. But Graber is not the only person being slapped down by the long arm of the law for the simple act of videotaping the police in a public place. Prosecutors across the U.S. claim the videotaping violates wiretap laws — a stretch, to put it mildly.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2008566,00.html

We were a little worried about reporting this here..... nah, just kidding. Public acts by a public employee in a public place, right? Right?