DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a man who says his rights were violated by police while he was taking video of cars parked illegally at the Des Moines police station.
Daniel Robbins said in his September lawsuit that three officers violated his constitutional right to be free from retaliation and false arrest. Robbins said the officers accused him of suspicious behavior, patted him down and took his cellphone and camera to search them. He was not charged and was eventually let go.
The Des Moines Register reports that U.S. District Judge Charles Wolle said in his ruling that Robbins’ actions taking video of cars outside the station “created reasonable suspicion among the officers that he was engaging in criminal activity,” adding that Robbins was given “ample opportunity to allay the officers’ suspicion.”
Wolle says that because Robbins’ rights were not violated, the police under the law are immune from such a lawsuit.
___
Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.