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Sunday, August 08, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Police may limit media ride-alongs
A U.S. Supreme Court decision has local law enforcement reconsidering its policy of open access.
By Glenn Puit
Review-Journal
Las Vegas police have been appearing on the Fox television show "COPS" for the past decade, garnering nationwide publicity by allowing the show's cameras to follow officers as they respond to crimes and make arrests.
But a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision aimed at protecting the constitutional rights of criminal suspects has Metropolitan Police Department officials considering changing department policy so officers could be prevented from being on the show.
"We want to protect the rights of the citizens and at the same time protect the rights of the Police Department," police spokesman Steve Meriwether said.
The footage used on the show is filmed during ride-alongs, which are opportunities for the public to spend hours with on-duty police officers. From a policing perspective, ride-alongs are viewed as valuable tools in educating the public about law enforcement and how officers do their jobs.
In May, the Supreme Court ruled police violate peoples' privacy rights when they bring television camera crews or other journalists into homes or on private property during arrests or searches.
Meriwether said the ruling led local police to examine barring recording devices, video or audio, during ride-alongs.
John Langley, creator and executive producer of "COPS," said he believes such a change would be an overreaction to the court's decision.
"We've ridden with Las Vegas police and done a number of episodes, all trouble free," Langley said. "I think the shows demonstrated Las Vegas police work at its finest."
Chief Justice William Rehnquist, writing for the court in cases from Maryland and Montana, cited the "centuries-old principle of respect for the privacy of the home."
"Surely the possibility of good public relations for the police is simply not enough, standing alone, to justify the ride-along intrusion into a private home,'' Rehnquist wrote. "Even the need for accurate reporting on police issues in general'' does not justify allowing journalists to accompany police onto private property, he added.
Las Vegas police have been a regular contributor to Langley's show. Since the ruling was issued in May he has heard of other police forces, including the Los Angeles Police Department, also considering similar policy changes. Meriwether said Phoenix police have eliminated ride-alongs.
Those changes are too drastic, Langley said, and what many police administrators are forgetting is suspects who appear on "COPS" have given producers their consent. That waiver is a potential defense against future legal action.
"The media has blown this Supreme Court ruling way out of proportion and the police are overreacting," Langley said. "When news of the ruling first came out, I had 30 news organizations call me, and I was thinking this is absurd because nothing has really changed."
Changing the ride-along policy is within the department's rights and could be a reasonable move, said Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada and a frequent police critic.
"It is not unreasonable for the police to do that because when you start taking cameras into people's houses, you are in a place where a person's expectation of privacy is extraordinarily high," Peck said. "What's important is balancing privacy rights vs. the public's right to know."
A final decision has not been made, Meriwether said, so modifications are possible. Currently, police are seeking input from local media organizations.
"Before anything is final everyone is going to have to look at it, including the department's administrators and attorneys," Meriwether said.
While the Supreme Court ruling has translated into some restrictions on what camera crews can and can't do, Langley said it will have little impact on the show.
"It's worrisome that Las Vegas would ban all recording devices," he said. "One of the things we do is show police at work, and that is the beautiful thing about this country. We don't have a secret police."
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