Neighborhood Blogger Feared For His Life After Officer Run-In
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A Dallas man who documents police activity around his neighborhood said officers intimidated him to the point he thought his life was in danger.
"They were carrying out illegal unprofessional orders to intimidate me," said Avi "Barking Dog" Adelman.
He runs a website, which features photos and videos of crime scenes that he shoots.
"To show people what's going on in the neighborhood," said Adelman about the site. "I'm just doing my thing."
Adelman was on the corner of Haskell and Ross Avenue Monday night preparing to shoot video when Dallas County Sheriff's deputies approached him. He said his video shows that they clearly didn't want him documenting what was happening.
Adelman said the deputies turned their flashlights on him and then walked over to conduct an exterior search of his van. He said deputy's then followed him on the two-mile route to his home, which is when he started to fear for his life.
"I got out and tired to take their picture… I thought I would get a bullet in my head because they would say 'oh I thought it was a gun not a camera'," said Adelman. "Scariest thing I've ever had happen."
He has filed a complaint with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, which told CBS 11 News that Adelman was standing outside a liquor store that didn't want him there.
The Dallas County Sheriff's department released the following statement:
"The Sheriff's Department acknowledges and understands that the public have the right to record a police officer's activity as long as they remain a reasonable distance as to not interfere with the officer's duties or create a safety concern."
If there's an internal investigation, the Sheriff's Department will access the deputy's patrol car dash camera and GPS devices to determine if Adelman was followed.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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