> * Despite a pretty much affirmed right to record officers (under the First Amendment), policy directives reminding officers of this fact, and — much more impo

> * Despite a pretty much affirmed right to record officers (under the First Amendment), policy directives reminding officers of this fact, and — much more importantly — a state law codifying this right, the NYPD still pretends it can control when and where it can be recorded.* Reasons include: Reprimand chances reduced by unions and internal culture, post-violation support by the same, ability to greatly intimidate most citizens without much consequence, lawsuit payouts get covered by taxpayers and more lenience from judges and prosecutors. If discipline leads to exiting a force, officers find uneven or no tracking of bad LEO behavior and plenty of other departments willing to pick them up. All of this is mitigated by the quality of a police chief and tons of random stuff out of the officer's control.