The ACLU of Connecticut says a Stamford man’s bail was set unfairly after police in the city arrested him last year.
Michael Friend made a cardboard sign reading COPS AHEAD to warn drivers about police waiting to issue tickets for texting while driving. Police arrested him, charged him with misdemeanor interference and set his bail at $25,000.
David McGuire is with the ACLU of Connecticut. He says the bail was arbitrarily high, and it shouldn’t have been set by the arresting officer.
“This really does smack of retaliation. This is someone that was arrested for expressing his protected speech. He was holding up a sign, the officer didn’t like that and arrested him in a way that was wrongful.”
The ACLU is also suing the city over the arrest itself. They say it was a violation of Friend’s first-amendment right to freedom of speech. Prosecutors have since dropped the interference charge.
