Lawmakers Across the Nation are Upping the Ante in Criminalizing Encounters with Police

Had it not been for a last-minute revision, Ohio politicians would have criminalized filming police encounters, among other things.

Cleveland, Ohio; Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Three weeks ago, Ohio legislators attempted to criminalize filming police encounters with the passage of the House Bill 22 (HB-22), which sought to expand obstruction of justice laws in the state by including failure to follow a lawful order from police or diverting a law enforcement officer's attention.…