[rca]

Do you mean there are laws (in the US) about filming something in public, or just risk an arbitrary arrest for annoying a cop? I remember reading a story about a guy who installed a software to record from the webcam of the computers in an apple store and I think the legality of it was unclear because it was in a public place or something. (although he did end up with tons of troubles)

[coldpie]

He means risking arrest for annoying a cop. It happens very frequently. When the victim sues, the decision always goes in the victim's favor. Sometimes with large cash rewards.

Police officers are abysmally trained and are effectively immune from the law, so expect to see abuses like this continue.

See this article, and the links in it, for some examples: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/jury-says-journal...