12-year-old reporter records video of police officer threatening to arrest her
A 12-year-old journalist, the youngest member of the National Society of Professional Journalists, was following a lead near the Arizona-Mexico border when a law-enforcement officer threatened her with detainment. Patagonia Marshal Joseph Patterson told Hilde Lysiak he could throw her into jail, but now, his employer is taking action for his behavior, which Lysiak captured on video.
Lysiak, a reporter and publisher for Pennsylvania-based news website Orange Street News, was undeterred by the threats.
Lysiak was on a bicycle investigating a tip around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 18, according to her account of the incident, when Patterson stopped her and asked for identification. She promptly said she was a member of the media and gave both her name and phone number.
“I don’t want to hear about any of that freedom of the press stuff,” Patterson allegedly told the young reporter, adding, “I’m going to have you arrested and thrown in juvey.” The officer, who Lysiak reports did not stop or question other civilians on the street, allegedly went on to threaten, “I can have you arrested, do you understand?”
When pressed on what she had done that was illegal, Patterson said she “disobeyed his command.” Later, he clarified he had reports of a Mountain Lion and that he was worried about her safety, despite other people in the area not being warned or told to vacate.
“You stopped me earlier and you said that I can be thrown in juvie. What exactly am I doing that’s illegal?” Lysiak asked in the video, which she shared on YouTube.
“You can tape me, OK. But what I’m going to tell you is if you put my face on the internet, it’s against the law in Arizona, OK?” he said. “So I’m not giving you permission to use my picture or my face on the internet. Do you understand all that?”
In accordance with the First Amendment, citizens have the right to record police officers while they’re performing their duties in public.
The officer went on to threaten the reporter by allegedly calling her parents before driving away.
A message posted by officials on the town’s website reads:
“The town of Patagonia has received many comments concerning Marshall Patterson’s interaction with a young reporter from the Orange Street News. The matter has been carefully reviewed and we have taken action we believe to be appropriate for the situation. We do not publicly disclose personnel actions including discipline and we will have no further comment on this matter.”
Lysiak shared on Twitter, “I am glad the town has ‘taken action’ but one note, I don’t believe people should spread around the Marshal’s personal information on the internet. My focus is on protecting our First Amendment Rights. Thank you.”
Lysiak’s byline, at age 12, is already impressive. Notably, when she was nine, she was the first to report on a murder in her hometown. She told Bright Lite, “I was first to the scene and just knocked on doors until I got all the information.”
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