So, you witness police brutality and you start recording on your phone. Here's how to handle that situation safely and legally. You witness police excessive force and you witness it firsthand. You're close enough and you're just videoing something else and you happen to catch the police misconduct. What I would encourage you to do is continue recording. Don't ever turn that recorder off even if they tell you to turn it off. It's not legal for them to tell you to turn it off. That's not a lawful order that you have to follow. Long as you're a safe distance away from them, you have the right to capture that on your phone and you have the right to document it and preserve that for later use. They can't legally take your phone away from you. Stand your ground, continue recording, tell the officer, "I'm going to record for my safety and your safety and I'll do so at a safe distance, but I don't consent to any searches or any seizures."