Dallas Police Department General Order

331.00 Public Recording of Of?cial Acts

DAVID 0. BROWN
CHIEF OF POLICE

Revised 5/19/2015

 

331.00 PUBLIC RECORDING OF OFFICEAL ACTS
331.01 Pollcy

it is the policy of the Dallas Police Department to ensure the protection and preservation of every person?s
Constitutional rights.

In furtherance of this policy, no member of the Dallas Police Department may prevent or prohibit any person's
ability to observe, photograph, and/or make a video recording (with or without a simultaneous audio recording)
of police activity that occurs in the public domain, so long as the person's location, actions. and/or behavior do
not interrupt, disrupt, impede, or otherwise interfere with a peace of?cer while the peace of?cer is performing a
duty or exercising authority imposed or granted by law. The public?s access to information regarding the of?cial
business of the Dallas Police Department is of critical importance to effective, transparent government.

331.02 De?nitions

interference with Public Duties A person commits an offense if the person with criminal negligence
interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes with a peace of?cer while the peace of?cer is performing a
duty or exercising authority imposed or granted by law. (Section 38.15, Texas Penal Code)

Photographing - The act of capturing and storing a still image, whether in an electronic/digital format, or on
any type of light-sensitive ?lm traditional 35mm 

Vldeol?Audio Recording The act of capturing a series of images that, when replayed in succession,
reproduce a sequence of activities in motion. Video/audio recordings may be stored on a length of light
sensitive ?lm, a videotape cassette, or in a digital format a removable memory card), and may or may not
contain a simultaneous audio recording.

VideolAucilo Recording Device - For the purposes of this General Order, a Video Recording Device includes,
but is not limited to, any device capable of capturing a still or moving imageis), regardless of whether or not a
simultaneous audio recording is included. Examples may include any of the following devices:

a A cellular telephone of any make, model, or manufacturer, including those devices referred to as
?Smart Phones."

0 A Personal Digital Assistant, also known as a Personal Data Assistant or PDA.
A tablet-style mobile computer commonly referred to simply as a ?tablet.?

- Any camera, whether still-photo and/or video, of any make, model, or manufacturer, regardless of
whether or not the device is capable of capturing a simultaneous audio recording. and regardless of
how the device stores the images it captures,

331.03 General information

It is increasingly common for uninvolved bystanders at the scene of police activity to photograph and/or
video/audio record the actions and conduct of police of?cers. Of?cers of the Dallas Police Department should
simply assume at any time a member of the general public is likely to observe, and perhaps even
photograph or video/audio record their activities.

As a result, of?cers must understand any bystander has a right to photograph andlor video/audio record the
enforcement actions of any police officer so long as the bystanders actions do not interrupt, disrupt, impede, or
otherwise interfere with a peace of?cer while the peace of?cer is performing a duty or exercising authority
imposed or granted by few,