YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Hundreds of law enforcement officers in York County are training in how to handle something they never imagined they'd face.
Charlotte lawyer Scott MacLatchie trains officers around the country about how to handle people who use their cellphones to record police activity. In some cases, so-called First Amendment auditors challenge police deliberately by getting very close, sometimes carrying guns, while baiting officers into arresting them.
Officers now face issues about when and where a citizen can record an event and where the line is on civil rights violations.
Earlier this month, a man was arrested in Charlotte after he carried a gun to the police headquarters. When officers confronted him, he said he had the right to carry the firearm. Officers charged him for violating a city ordinance. They said people travel the country posting these videos on YouTube after confrontations with police.
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