"WTOpolice_1" by Seattlest Flickr Pool contributor ntisocl. Daaang, he got right in there. Thanks!

We learned our code of behavior from America's suburbs: if the cop's right behind you when you see flashing lights, pull over and turn off your radio. If the flashing lights are on the side of the freeway, slow down a little bit so you can bear proper witness to the speeding culprit's shame. If the flashing lights are parked at an intersection and the cops are interrogating someone on the corner, find an inconspicuous place to watch the action and speculate to your friends about what's probably going down over there. The suburbs also taught us to politely pretend that we see nothing wrong with the actions of authority figures.

Of course, when we encountered the notion of police brutality (tenth grade Social Studies, Martin Luther King Jr. unit), our eye on police activity shifted towards the more critical. In 2006, when Bogdan Mohora was arrested in Seattle for snapping photos of a police arrest, we were righteously indignant about his right to document whatever he documented, because if he couldn't, then we couldn't. And what if someday, we saw something awful and unjust (or even just particularly cool) and we happened to have our camera with us?

The City of Seattle settled with Mohora for an $8,000 payment to the photographer last year. The P-I reports that this week, the SPD will be revealing its updated, ACLU-friendly policies on what bystanders are and are not allowed to do while watching cops do their job.

The gist of the new policy: you're allowed to watch and take photos, but don't stand too close and don't interfere with the scene. Cops: you're not allowed to take people's cameras without cause. (Duh.) The new policies are supposed to "clarify" rules and training already in place, and to "clearly remind officers" that civilian gawking at the Law In Action is just fine. The police shouldn't be doing anything that would be problematic in court anyway....right?