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An attorney's routine visit to request public records in Skiatook, Oklahoma turned into a confrontation with multiple police officers who claimed filming in the government building was illegal. The incident escalated when city employees called law enforcement simply because journalists were documenting their records request with cameras.
What began as a simple ask for an Open Records Act form quickly spiraled when city staff became hostile to the presence of cameras. The situation reached a boiling point when an IT contractor working for the city began hurling insults and making false legal claims about filming rights.
The IT Contractor's Meltdown
The most shocking moments came from a contract IT worker who inserted himself into the situation despite having no official authority. The man began screaming at the journalists, calling them names and falsely claiming they needed permission to film in the public building.
"You don't have permission to film me," the contractor yelled repeatedly, despite being in a government facility during business hours. When corrected about filming rights in public buildings, he became increasingly agitated and began using profanity.
The contractor's behavior became so disruptive that he was essentially doing the journalists' work for them, creating a spectacle while ironically filming the encounter himself on his phone.
Police Arrive with False Claims
Multiple officers responded to what dispatch characterized as a disturbance, but body camera footage revealed the real story. The journalists were sitting calmly filling out paperwork when police arrived and immediately began making questionable legal statements.
Officer Wamingo and Sergeant Henderson attempted to justify their response by claiming the temporary building layout somehow restricted normal public access rights. They employed classic intimidation tactics, physically separating the journalists and restricting their movement within the public space.
One sergeant admitted he carried no less-lethal weapons despite his supervisory role, raising questions about department policies and officer safety protocols.
The Separation Tactic
Perhaps most concerning was the officers' decision to physically separate the two journalists, blocking one from filming the other's interaction. When challenged about this restriction in a public building, officers compared the situation to a domestic violence call.
"Just like if we go to a domestic and there's people arguing, we separate the parties," one officer explained, apparently unaware that requesting public records is not comparable to a domestic dispute.
The journalist pressed back, noting his right to film police performing their duties and gather content in the public space. Officers offered to provide body camera footage later through another records request, missing the point entirely about real-time accountability.
What the Final Footage Reveals
Despite the chaos created by city staff and the heavy-handed police response, the records request was ultimately completed. But the incident raises serious questions about how this small Oklahoma city treats transparency and constitutional rights.
The contrast with nearby Sperry, Oklahoma couldn't be more stark. That city processed an identical request in just seven minutes with complete professionalism. The difference in treatment suggests systemic issues with how Skiatook officials view public accountability.
Watch the complete encounter to see how this confrontation over basic transparency rights concludes and whether officials ever acknowledge their constitutional violations.
