Your legal rights when recording the police

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Attorney Mike Seiler has been a prosecutor a judge and now a defense attorney.

Like the rest of the nation he’s watched the video of 37-year-old Alton Sterling and two Baton Rouge police officers.

“This is really egregious because we see the entire thing on video-tape from his encounter with the police to him taking his last breath,” Seiler said.

On the tape Sterling is seen resisting and has gun in his pocket. Yet many unanswered questions remain.

“It shows that we have problems,” said Seiler.

What’s more disturbing to Seiler is what happened to 32-year-old Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Minnesota.

“That one appears to me to be exceptionally egregious,” Seiler said.

Castile told the cop he had a gun and a license to carry one. Something Seiler says every gun owner should do when pulled over.

“You are supposed to produce your permit,” said Seiler. “That’s what makes it particularly egregious.”

Castile’s girlfriend posted her boyfriend’s deadly confrontation with the cop on Facebook. While the cop never told her to stop since she was sitting in the car Seiler says the cop could have ordered her to put the phone down.

“If you are interrupting disrupting or impeding that police investigation it becomes a crime to be videotaping a police officer in the state of Texas so you need to comply,” Seiler said. “Now if you’re on the street and you’re not involved in it keep taping but stay out of the officer’s way.”

In every encounter with police Seiler says always do two things.

“Keep your hands in plain view,” said Seiler. “Move very slow.”

In addition to protesting and demanding action from elected officials Seiler reminds victims of police brutality they can seek justice by filing a federal lawsuit and let a jury of their peers have the final say.