MA- Tyrisha Greene videotaped three police officers beating Melvin Jones III and now the police want to charge Greene with illegal wiretapping.
SPRINGFIELD, MA. – The amateur videographer with the colorful vocabulary who memorialized the alleged 2009 police beating of Melvin Jones III during a traffic stop may be charged with illegal wiretapping.
One of four police officers disciplined for the incident on Nov. 27, 2009, Michael Sedergren, has filed an application for a criminal complaint against videographer Tyrisha Greene. Sedergren, who was suspended for 45 days, claims it was illegal for Greene to videotape him without his consent.
The officer at the center of the controversy is now-retired patrolman Jeffrey M. Asher, a lightning rod when he was on the police force with a past history of allegations of police brutality.
Asher was fired from the police force a day after he received a disability pension from the state. He also faces criminal charges in Chicopee District Court; his trial is pending.
Three other officers, including Sedergren, were disciplined in connection with the incident. Sedergren did not appeal his suspension but filed his own complaint against Greene in District Court in late July, alleging improper interception of wire and oral communication.
A so-called “show cause” hearing during which a clerk-magistrate will vet the alleged evidence against Greene is scheduled for Aug. 17 in Chicopee District Court.
Greene has been a reluctant witness, according to court records, and could not be reached for comment. However, her lawyer, Daniel D. Kelly, said Sedergren sought the complaint under a state law aimed at organized crime-fighting tactics.
“Even a cursory review of the law would show that the Legislature took the time to insert a preamble into the statute showing that it is specifically aimed at organized crime prosecutions,” Kelly said. The law specifically prohibits secret audiotaping without a person’s consent.
Link:
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/videographer_of_alleged_melvin.html