Legal

De-Escalation Handbook for Encounters with First Amendment Auditors Audience: police officers, deputies, correctional and court officers, public employees, contract security, and any government staff who interact with the public.Stance: pro-auditor, pro-civil rights, pro-professionalism. Quick Card (carry this mindset into the contact) 1) What First Amendment Auditors Do Auditors record government workers and facilities to test…

TLDR – Officers’ Limits and Civilians’ Rights Figure: Peaceful protest is a hallmark of a free society. The First Amendment “protects a significant amount of verbal criticism and challenge directed at police officers”[4], and filming police is likewise protected speech[1][2]. First Amendment Rights: Recording and Speech Filming and Recording Police (First Amendment) Courts now recognize…

Don’t Panic! A Guide to What First Amendment Audits Are A First Amendment audit is when a private citizen (often calling themselves a “citizen journalist” or “auditor”) goes into a public building or space and starts filming government employees or officials. These auditors usually explain that they want to “test” or “audit” whether public workers…

I. The Freedom of Information Act: Unlocking Government Transparency A. What is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? Definition and Core Principle The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal law, codified at 5 U.S.C. § 552, that establishes a statutory right for any person to access records from federal executive branch agencies.1 Enacted…

Introduction First Amendment audits are a growing movement of citizens who film public officials and government facilities from public spaces to test and assert constitutional rights. Practitioners , often calling themselves auditors , see these encounters as acts of activism and citizen journalism aimed at promoting government transparency, accountability, and open government. In an audit,…