Man Video Tapes Cop Breaking the Law -- Gets Ordered to Stop Filming Due to "Terrorism"

New York Daily News | August 16, 2007

BY NICK REISMAN and ALISON GENDAR

A Brooklyn traffic agent became a YouTube star when she was caught on camera parking her patrol car in front of a fire hydrant - and then flipping the bird to the cameraman.

Edythe Anderson, an NYPD summons enforcement supervisor, apparently thought nothing of pulling in front of a hydrant to run into a Brooklyn restaurant to grab some lunch.

But the sight of it infuriated video vigilante "Jimmy Justice," 36-year-old musician and the amateur cameraman.

"They are pretty vicious giving out tickets but when they do something wrong. It's a double standard," he said.

Justice said he carries a video camera with him to his various musical gigs just so he can catch civil servants taking advantage of the system.

"Basically, I asked her, 'How come you can park in front of a hydrant? Isn't that illegal. You'd give someone else a summons,'" Justice said.

As he filmed Anderson climbing back into her car, he noticed the sticker inside reminding agents to buckle up before driving.

"She didn't buckle up either. She just started her car," Justice said.

As he filmed, another woman walked up, told him she was retired NYPD, and ordered him to stop filming the traffic agent because of terrorism.

"What a crock," Justice said. He used coarser terms on his video as she walked away. Justice turned his attention back to Anderson, who by now had rolled up her window.

"You ought to be ashamed," Justice can be heard telling her on the video.

Anderson, who hadn't said a word, gave him the finger as she pulled out.

"So much for 'Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect,'" he said, mocking the NYPD's customer service slogan on the side of Anderson's car.

After he filmed Anderson, Justice said he filed a complaint with the city's 311 system, and then posted the video on YouTube, a popular video-sharing Web site.

That was in June. Anderson, 53, is still on the job. She declined to comment. An NYPD spokesman said the 311 complaint was never forwarded to them, so they have not investigated his complaint.