by B. Christopher Agee, Western Journalism:

As smartphones with built-in camcorders become more ubiquitous, citizens who witness arrests and other police activities increasingly use the technology to capture such moments on tape.

For fans of law enforcement transparency, such added accountability is a positive trend. Many officers, however, express a different point of view.

When police in Towson, Md. initiated the arrest of two suspects this week, a local CBS affiliate reported a bystander reached for his phone and immediately began capturing footage of the unfolding event. A short time later, one officer approached the amateur videographer, who expressed his belief that he had a right to record the interaction.

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