Texas officers suspended for blocking activist filming them
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Austin police have suspended two police officers who blocked an activist from recording video of a traffic stop.
James Maufrais and Jesse Lane were seen on video in November obstructing and pointing a flashlight at activist Phillip Turner, who has filmed police in various Texas cities and sued at least three police departments in the state after being confronted over videotaping.
Maufrais received a 20-day suspension without pay, and Lane was suspended for 10 days.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maufrais' attorney on Friday told KXAN-TV that he was caught off guard by someone videotaping him and had returned less than a year earlier from Afghanistan.
Turner told the station that there was "no way" to justify the officers' actions.
Texas law generally allows videotaping of police officers in a public space without permission.