Cops arrest public defender who was representing her client, face no discipline

San Francisco's Office of Citizen Complaints found that the San Francisco cops who arrested public defender Jami Tillotson after she told them to stop photographing her client in a courthouse hallway were in the wrong, and that they engaged in "conduct reflecting discredit on the department."


That said, none of the cops who arrested Tillotson, nor those who "made inappropriate comments to the media following the incident," nor the police chief who "stood by the actions of Sgt. Brian Stansbury and the other officers who arrested Tillotson" will face any consequences for their misdeeds.


Maybe so, but the complaint review board says otherwise. his officers may have had the "reasonable suspicion" to take pictures, but they clearly didn't have the right to continue to do so after being told not to by an officer of the court (the public defender), much less prevent her from doing her job by arresting her.

Complaint Board Finds Police Officers Violated Policy By Arresting Public Defender Who Demanded They Stop Questioning Her Clients
[Tim Cushing/Techdirt]