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Police auditing refers to a practice where individuals, often referred to as "auditors," film and document interactions with law enforcement officers and public officials in order to promote transparency, accountability, and the protection of civil rights. This practice has gained prominence with the rise of social media and the increasing availability of recording devices, allowing citizens to capture and share encounters with the police.
	'''Police auditing''' is the practice of filming, observing and documenting police officers, police buildings or other public officials, usually to test how public bodies respond to recording and public scrutiny. In the United Kingdom the practice is often associated with YouTube and social media, while in the United States similar activity is often called a First Amendment audit.

== Overview ==
Police auditing involves citizens actively observing, recording, and documenting interactions between themselves and law enforcement officers. Auditors may also engage in "First Amendment audits," which focus on testing the boundaries of individuals' rights to freedom of speech, the press, and assembly during encounters with law enforcement in public spaces.
	The practice sits between journalism, activism, public observation and online entertainment. Some audits are quiet records of public activity. Others are deliberately confrontational tests of access, policy and officer knowledge.

The objectives of police auditing include:
	== Public Filming ==
	In England and Wales, filming police in a public place is generally lawful. Metropolitan Police photography advice says members of the public and media do not need a permit to film or photograph in public places and that police have no power to stop them filming incidents or police personnel merely because they are filming.

* Transparency: Auditors aim to increase transparency in law enforcement activities by capturing and sharing video footage of interactions. This can help ensure that both law enforcement officers and citizens are held accountable for their actions.
* Accountability: By recording interactions, auditors seek to hold law enforcement officers accountable for any misconduct, abuse of power, or violations of individuals' rights that may occur during encounters.
* Education: Auditors aim to educate the public about their rights during police encounters and to inform them about best practices for interacting with law enforcement.
* Legal Documentation: Recorded interactions can serve as legal documentation in case of disputes, complaints, or legal proceedings related to law enforcement conduct.
	That does not make every filming situation lawful. A person may still commit an offence or be removed if they obstruct police, trespass, harass someone, breach a lawful cordon, ignore a lawful direction, enter a restricted area, or create a real safety problem.

== First Amendment Audits ==
First Amendment audits are a specific form of police auditing that focuses on asserting individuals' rights to freedom of speech, the press, and assembly. Auditors intentionally engage in interactions with law enforcement officers while filming, often in public spaces such as government buildings, parks, or streets. The goal is to test how law enforcement officers respond to individuals exercising their constitutional rights.
	== Common Locations ==
	Police auditing often takes place outside police stations, custody centres, courts, council buildings, transport hubs, job centres and other public-facing sites. Some auditors stay on public land and film external features. Others enter reception areas or approach staff to ask questions about photography policies.

These audits can lead to a range of reactions from law enforcement officers, including cooperation, respectful engagement, or attempts to deter auditors from recording. The encounters captured during First Amendment audits have sparked discussions about the limits of constitutional rights and the proper conduct of law enforcement.
	The legal position depends on the location. Public land, private land open to visitors, restricted police premises and operational scenes are not the same thing. A person may have permission to stand in one place but not another.

== Impact and Controversies ==
Police auditing has had significant impact, both positive and controversial:
	== Police Powers and Limits ==
	Police may speak to a person who is filming, ask what they are doing, set a cordon, protect a crime scene or use statutory powers where the legal threshold is met. The Terrorism Act 2000 section 43 stop and search power, for example, depends on reasonable suspicion that the person is a terrorist.

=== Positive Impact ===
	Filming alone should not be treated as suspicious by itself. At the same time, filming is not a shield against ordinary law. Obstructing a constable, public order offences, aggravated trespass and breach of the peace may still be considered on the facts.

* Accountability: Police auditing has led to increased accountability and oversight of law enforcement practices, as documented incidents can be used to identify and address cases of misconduct.
* Training and Education: Auditors' interactions with law enforcement officers have prompted discussions about proper training, de-escalation tactics, and the protection of civil rights during police encounters.
	== Complaints and Accountability ==
	Auditors sometimes use footage to make complaints, request body-worn video, challenge police records or publish alleged misconduct. The Independent Office for Police Conduct explains that complaints can be made directly to the police force or through the IOPC website, and that the complaint is normally sent to the force or organisation concerned for initial handling.

=== Controversies ===
	Video can help show what happened, but it is not always complete. Edited footage may leave out context before or after the recorded clip. A fair account should distinguish between what is shown, what is alleged and what has been formally found.

* Safety Concerns: Some critics argue that police auditing may escalate tensions between auditors and law enforcement officers, potentially leading to unsafe situations for both parties.
* Misunderstandings: Encounters captured during police auditing may not always provide a complete picture of the situation, leading to potential misunderstandings or misinterpretations.
	== Criticism ==
	Critics argue that some audits are designed to provoke staff, waste police time, film people who did not choose to be part of a video, or create selective online content. Supporters argue that public filming discourages abuse of power and helps educate people about police powers.

== Legal Considerations ==
While individuals have the right to film interactions with law enforcement officers in public spaces, the legality of recording varies by jurisdiction. Auditors should familiarize themselves with local laws related to recording and ensure that their actions do not interfere with law enforcement operations.
	Both points can be true in different cases. The quality of an audit depends on the conduct of the auditor, the conduct of officials, the location, the legal powers used and the accuracy of any commentary published afterwards.

	== Practical Examples ==
	=== Lawful Street Filming ===
	An auditor stands on a public pavement and films police vehicles entering a station yard. Unless there is a specific lawful restriction or other conduct, filming from that place is not automatically an offence.

	=== Restricted Area ===
	An auditor walks through a marked staff-only door inside a police building. That may become trespass and may raise security issues, even if the person is filming.

	=== Obstruction ===
	A person films an arrest from a safe distance. That is different from stepping into the arrest team, blocking officers or refusing to move from a live cordon.

	== See Also ==
	* [[Auditors]]
	* [[Crimebodge]]
	* [[Police_and_Criminal_Evidence_Act_1984]]
	* [[Public_Order_Act_1986]]
	* [[Aggravated_Trespass]]

	== References ==
	* [https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/ph/photography-advice/ Metropolitan Police: Photography advice]
	* [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/16/section/89 Police Act 1996, section 89]
	* [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/43 Terrorism Act 2000, section 43]
	* [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/33/section/68 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, section 68]
	* [https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints/guide-to-complaints-process Independent Office for Police Conduct: Guide to the complaints process]

	[[Category:Law]]
	[[Category:Policing]]
	[[Category:Media]]