Chris Yarzab
California is surpassing existing levels of authoritarianism, with LAPD officers now being instructed to collect social media of individuals they stop.
The field interview cards issued to the LAPD have spaces and instructions to record a citizen’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media accounts, alongside basic biographical information.
LA Police Chief Michel Moore claimed the information was critical for “investigations, arrests, and prosecutions.”
The chief went on to state that supervisors would be enforcing the documentation, and would review interview cards.
The documents surrounding the practice were obtained by the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice.
According to The Guardian, the Brennan Center could not find another agency in the forty or so departments they reviewed that had the same practices.
“There are real dangers about police having all of this social media identifying information at their fingertips,” said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, a deputy director at the Brennan Center.
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