Chicago News Media Credentials

CHICAGO NEWS MEDIA CREDENTIALS

By Sue Basko

see also: Illinois Eavesdropping Law and Video at Protests

see also:  CHICAGO NATO PROTESTS
see also: Where You Can Protest in Chicago and How
See also: Applying for Chicago News Media Credentials.

See also: Arrest and Bail in Chicago/ Eavesdropping

UPDATE: APRIL 28, 2012 

According to news reports, Chicago police will not enforce the Illinois Eavesdropping Law during the NATO Summit in Chicago.  This means live streamers are free to record audio with their video without fear of prosecution under the eavesdropping law.  Please see this news article at the NorthWest Times. 

  

BELOW IS THE CHICAGO MUNICIPAL CODE ON NEWS MEDIA CREDENTIALS.
At the Chicago NATO Summit, a good portion of the downtown area is expected to be a "frozen zone."   There will be two types of press credentials -- Chicago News Media credentials, and then special NATO credentials issued by the State Dept.    

CHICAGO MUNICIPAL CODE

CHAPTER 4-328

NEWS MEDIA CREDENTIALS

4-328-010     Credentials – Required.

4-328-020     Issuance authorized.

4-328-030     Application.

4-328-040     Advisory committee.

4-328-050     Credential – Form and contents.

4-328-060     Surrender of credential.

4-328-070     Credential – Revocation.

4-328-080     Counterfeit or imitation media credentials.

4-328-090     Regulations.

4-328-100     Violation – Penalty.

 4-328-010  Credentials – Required.

     No person shall be eligible to gain access to areas reserved for the news media for the purpose of gathering and editing spot news or photographing news events unless such person is a legal holder of a news media credential as provided herein, and displays such credential prominently and in plain view on their person.

     For purposes of this chapter, the term “news media” means a newspaper or other periodical issued at regular intervals whether in print or electronic format, a news service whether in print or electronic format, a radio station, a television station, a television network, a community antenna television service, or a person or corporation engaged in making news reels or other motion picture news for public showing.

(Added Coun. J. 12-9-92, p. 25465; Amend Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

 4-328-020  Issuance authorized.

     The superintendent of police has power to issue news media credentials making the holder, upon properly displaying such credential prominently and in plain view on their person, eligible to gain access to areas reserved for the news media for the purpose of gathering and editing spot news or photographing news events in Chicago.  Such news media credentials shall be issued only to those engaged in gathering, reporting, editing, producing or photographing current news events for newspapers, press associations, radio stations and other news media.

(Added Coun. J. 12-9-92, p. 25465; Amend Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

 4-328-030  Application.

     The application for such news media credentials shall be made in writing on a form specified by the superintendent, and shall contain such information as the superintendent may reasonably require.  If the credential is sought for an employee of a news media organization, the application shall be made by the employer on behalf of the employee qualified to hold news media credentials. The employer shall represent that the employee on whose behalf an application for a news media credential is made is a reporter, editor, writer, photographer, producer  or broadcaster of spot news.  If the credential is sought for a person who is not an employee of a news media organization, the application shall contain such information and requirements as the superintendent shall specify by regulation.  No such credential shall be issued unless the applicant meets these requirements.

(Added Coun. J. 12-9-92, p. 25465; Amend Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

 4-328-040  Advisory committee.

     The mayor has power to appoint an advisory committee on news media credentials composed of five members, on which there shall be a representative of the mayor, a representative of the superintendent of police, a representative of the newspapers, a representative of the press associations, and a representative of the radio stations referred to in Section 4-328-020, which committee shall formulate rules of procedure, recommend standards of qualification, examine all applicants for news media credentials and advise with and make recommendations to the superintendent of police, where applicants are qualified, regarding the issuance of the same.

(Added Coun. J. 12-9-92, p. 25465)

 4-328-050  Credential – Form and contents.

     The news media credentials shall be in such form as is designated and prepared by the superintendent of police and shall display a photograph of the credential holder.  There shall also be printed on the news media credential excerpts from this chapter to give notice of the prohibitions provided therein and associated penalty for violation and the conditions under which the credential is issued.  Such news media credential shall be valid for a period to be determined by the superintendent of police but not to exceed two years from the date of issuance.

(Added Coun. J. 12-9-92, p. 25465; Amend Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

 4-328-060  Surrender of credential.

     Upon termination of employment with the employer which applied for the credential, or other change in status that renders the holder no longer eligible for the news media credential issued to him, the holder or his employer shall return the credential to the superintendent together with a statement of the reason for the return.  It shall be a violation of this section to fail to return the credential under the circumstances set forth herein, and the employer and credential holder shall be jointly and severally liable for such violation.

(Added Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

 4-328-070  Credential – Revocation.

     The superintendent of police has power to revoke any news media credential for improper use thereof by the holder, and upon notice thereof to the employer it shall be the duty of the holder and the employer to immediately surrender the news media credential so revoked.

(Added Coun. J. 12-9-92, p. 25465)

 4-328-080  Counterfeit or imitation media credentials.

     No person shall counterfeit or imitate, or attempt to counterfeit or imitate, any such news media credential so issued by the superintendent of police; nor shall any person use or exhibit, or attempt to use or exhibit, any such news media credential or any credential similar in appearance thereto for the purpose of obtaining press privileges or of passing police or fire lines without authority of the superintendent of police; nor shall any person represent that he is a holder of such news media credential unless he is the actual authorized holder.

(Added Coun. J. 12-9-92, p. 25465; Amend Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

 4-328-090  Regulations.

     The superintendent of police is authorized to promulgate regulations to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.  The violation of any such regulation shall be considered to be a violation of this chapter.

(Added Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

 4-328-100  Violation – Penalty.

     Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter or any regulation promulgated thereunder shall upon conviction be fined an amount not less than $100.00 and not more than $200.00.

(Added Coun. J. 9-8-10, p. 99274, § 1)

Undercover Cops at Occupy Protests

Undercover Cops at Occupy Protests

by Sue Basko

UPDATE November 30, 2011: Last night, Occupy L.A. was raided.  After the camp was closed down, someone took video and stills of about 8 men who were obviously undercover cops from the camp, standing up on City Hall steps and high-fiving it with the uniformed officers.  Some people were surprised that undercover cops had infiltrated their group.  To try to cover the existence of the undercover cops at the camp, one of the ranking officers referred to there being  "about 12 people left in the park, waiting to be arrested," which of course, made no sense.  

* * * 

Undercover cops have been spotted at Occupy protests. Of course. 

What They Wear:  A baseball cap (or sometimes a knit cap), hooded sweatshirt, dark pants or old jeans, and often a dark-colored backpack.  I assume there is a radio communication receiver (like a bluetooth) under the hood and pepper spray and handcuffs or zipties in the backpack.

What They Do:  Just kind of walk around or hang around.

What Their Job Is:  To watch and see if anything out of the ordinary is happening.

Should We Mind If They Are There?   No, not really.  It is fun to play Spot the Cop.  Also, it is possible some nut case may come along and try to commit some really violent act at a big protest, and hopefully, one of these undercover cops will see it beforehand and stop it.  There are always undercover cops at any big crowd event; thinking otherwise is naïve.

Cop-Spotting at Occupy:

Occupy LA:  Early on at Occupy LA, an undercover cop was spotted hanging around.  What was he wearing? Baseball cap, dark hooded sweatshirt, jeans.  He was better-looking than the average cop, kind of like Jake Gyllenhaal.  He spooked people because they were not sure if he was a cop, a provocateur, or a nut case about to do something.  Once it was confirmed he was a cop, there was a sense of relief. 

Occupy SF, Occupy Oakland: At Occupy San Francisco, OakfoSho (aka Spencer Mills) from Occupy Oakland was out livestreaming on Black Friday, the shopping day after Thanksgiving.  Spencer spotted an undercover cop and asked him, “Are you an undercover cop?” The man answered no, and then said, “I’ve been at this a lot longer than you.” 

Occupy Wall Street, New York: At Occupy Wall Street in New York, a livestreamer (not Tim Pool) asked a man if he was an undercover cop.  The man hit him.  The livestreamer followed the man as he walked away quickly,  trying to escape from the livestreamer and his camera.  The livestreamer followed the man as he walked into several police-only locations and eventually got into a police-only vehicle and was driven away, his cover blown.  This man was slightly too old and chubby to wear  the Undercover Cop uniform, and he had some lumps under his sweatshirt, which could have been a gun or other weapons. 

Occupy Wall Street, New York:  On the day after the OWS campers were kicked out of Zuccotti Park, Tim Pool (theother99, Timcast), the Chicagoan now famous for livestreaming the New York Occupation, was streaming a march to the Goldman Sachs building.  When the protest march arrived at the building, some protesters staged a sit-in.  Tim stood near the curb with a crowd of onlookers.  A man in a dark suit stood next to Tim and elbowed him hard in the ribs.  Tim loudly announced this and asked the man if he was a cop.  Then, another man in the crowd said the man in the suit had elbowed him, too.  The suit man left and joined the cops surrounding the sit-in by the door.  Suit man seemed to be directing some of the police action. Tim called him “a high-ranking police officer.”  I think he was building security for Goldman Sachs.

WHAT'S your cop-spotting story?

See also:

Agents Provocateurs: What and Who They Are

Anonymous vs PERF

Oakland Police Department Crowd Dispersal Policy
FREE Download - Occupy Poster by Aaron Kuehn
Flash Mob Protests

Top 7 Things That Get People Arrested at a Protest aka How to Not Get Arrested
FBI Infiltrators in Protest Groups