Imploring its members to conduct themselves in a professional manner, the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) on Saturday took note of the expletive-filled tirade that attorney Ryan Crawford recently unleashed on a traffic policeman but refrained from rebuking him.
The organisation, in a statement which didn’t name Crawford, also warned that persons could be held liable for sharing and posting of recordings on social media or other platforms. The Association was responding to a report regarding the incident which was published in the September 14 edition of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper.
The video recording, which has gone viral, has garnered mixed reviews. It captured part of an encounter between Crawford and a traffic cop. It is unclear who took the video in which someone who was identified as the policeman is heard asking Crawford to produce his documents and to wind up the driver-side window so that the darkness of the tint could be tested. The attorney refused while repeatedly using expletives and insisting that he did not break any law and has a right to transverse the roadway freely. At one point, the video was muted. It is unclear how the encounter ended.
Police have since said that the matter is being investigated.
In its statement, the GBA said that it is aware of the video and asserted that it holds its members to the highest standards of ethics and conduct. It implored them to conduct themselves, at all times, in a manner befitting that of the “most noble and esteemed” profession. Pointing out that the matter is under investigation, the GBA said that it would refrain from commenting at this time. However, it expressed hope that the investigation will include the circumstances surrounding the recording, publication and sharing of the video. It also sought to describe the circumstances upon which the police could stop a motorist.
“We take this opportunity to inform the general public that a motorist can only be stopped by a uniformed police officer for due cause if he has formed the reasonable suspicion in his mind that an offence has been committed. That is, the police officer must have formed a reasonable suspicion in his mind of an offence prior to stopping the motorist. The officer is under a duty to identify himself and inform the motorist of the alleged offence,” the statement said. It added that a motorist is entitled to know the name, rank and identification number of the police officer and must comply with all lawful directions of the officer.
“We also put the general public on notice that the sharing and posting of such recordings on social media or in any such domain could give rise to the issue of the publication and sensationalism of obscene material for which they could be held liable,” the GBA said.
