So, a few things.
This is not the whole video. It’s heavily edited. That means we are missing important context.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy’s First Amendment activity consisted of ‘auditing’ the police, or taping infrastructure. At least, that’s usually what we deal with.
These guys do their best to toe a very thin line and make the cops do something like this. And as angry as he sounds, he’s cumming in his pants.
Now, that said….
It’s very hard to justify this. That is precisely why the tape is cut and edited this way. But I’d like to see the officer’s unedited body cam. Like I said, context.
If it’s clearly a GoPro on a selfie stick or gimbal then WTF.
To @AWP’s point, any cop that doesn’t know he’s being taped is an idiot. Most of us are taping ourselves, for fuck’s sake. Hell, in my agency we’re mounting sensors to our holsters that start our cameras recording when we draw our weapons. That’s because if we point a weapon at someone we have to document it and the film and report are reviewed all the way up the chain When the dude you’re dealing with is telling you it’s a camera, that should be a clue that you’re gonna be YouTube famous.
But here’s the thing. It shouldn’t fucking matter. Do the job right. Respect the Constitution. Treat people fairly (which can include arresting them). Don’t be a punching bag or a douchebag. Cameras then become irrelevant.
