Police Seized Reporter's Phone
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A reporter at Arizona's most-watched television news station says Gilbert police illegally seized his cellphone and threatened to access its contents by "brute force" after he was unlawfully arrested while covering the death of a Chandler police officer in April.
The Arizona Republic reports that in a motion filed last week, attorneys representing journalist León Felipe González Cortés of Phoenix-based Univision say police also violated his First Amendment rights as a reporter and derisively referred to him as "compadre" in reference to his Latino heritage.
Police have held the phone for more than a month, and attorneys for the town and the police department have "gone silent" and refused to discuss returning it, the complaint states.
According to the motion, officers told González, who was wearing a Univision shirt and accompanied by a photojournalist from the station, that he was on the wrong side of a police line established to secure the crime scene. He was arrested on charges of trespassing and hindering a police investigation.
Univision Arizona President and General Manager Joe Donnarumma said González was unjustly arrested while doing his constitutionally protected job.
"Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our democracy, as are the tools, technologies and constitutionally protected newsgathering activities that our journalists employ every day across the country to keep our audiences informed," Donnarumma said in a statement to The Arizona Republic.
Chris Kline, CEO and president of the Arizona Broadcasters Association, said the arrest and seizure were concerning.
"The Arizona Broadcasters Association adamantly supports the critical role played by reporters in covering the news and keeping our communities informed," Kline said. "We are concerned by the allegations against the Univision crew, support the rights of our local press, and call upon the leadership at Gilbert police to closely review the incident."
