MEMPHIS, Tenn. —
There is a lot of legalese in the latest court ruling involving Memphis police conducting surveillance on law abiding citizens. But just know this, the police department cannot do all that it wants to do in keeping tabs on protesters – and call it legitimate police work.
That’s the decision contained in a 48-page ruling yesterday by federal judge Jon McCalla. Essentially, McCalla ruled that police cannot share information on protesters with other agencies, public or private, that are not bound by a court order. And certainly, police officers cannot create phony social media identities in order to infiltrate protest groups.
All of this stems from a 1978 consent decree in which Memphis police agreed to stop spying on groups and private citizens who were not committing any crimes. Some 40 years later, police officials now argue 21st century technology – such as social media and surveillance cameras everywhere – means the consent decree is outdated. The ACLU has already agreed to some modifications, but the MPD wanted more. Judge McCalla said yes to some additional changes, but no to others.
Hopefully, this case ends here. Police should be able to live with these restrictions and still do their jobs. The relationship between police and the community is already strained enough. So instead of a continued court battle that is costing taxpayer money, let’s work to preserve our first amendment rights – while also ensuring public safety.
And that’s my point of view. I’m Otis Sanford, for Local 24 News.