The move was seemingly to prevent video of the encounter from being shared on social media, which restricts content that contains copyrighted music.<\/b>
\nThere\u2019s bad blood between an Alameda County sheriff\u2019s sergeant and protesters after he used a Taylor Swift song in an apparent effort to avoid an on-camera confrontation earlier this week. Authorities say an investigation has been launched into Tuesday\u2019s encounter between Sgt. David Shelby and members of the Anti Police-Terror Project, an organization that seeks police reform. During the incident, Shelby \u2014 who was being filmed by protesters on the courthouse steps in Oakland \u2014 pulls out his cellphone and begins playing music while arguing with James Burch, the policy director for the Anti Police-Terror Project. The move was seemingly to prevent video of the encounter from being shared on social media, which restricts content that contains copyrighted music. But the video still ended up online: It was posted to Twitter and YouTube. Sgt. Ray Kelly, a public information officer for the Alameda County Sheriff\u2019s Office, said in an email that sheriff\u2019s officials had seen the video and referred the incident to the department\u2019s internal affairs bureau. \u201cThis is not approved behavior,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cIt will not happen again.\u201d Burch and other members of the group were outside the Alameda County superior courthouse on June 29, supporting the family of Steven Taylor, who was killed by San Leonardo police in April 2020 during a mental health crisis inside a Walmart store. Officer Jason Fletcher has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in Taylor\u2019s death. Burch, along with Taylor\u2019s family and other protesters, were gathered around speakers that were broadcasting testimony of the trial outside the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse when they were approached by four Alameda County sheriff\u2019s deputies and asked to remove banners that were hung on the walls. When group members were told they could not move the banners to the stairs, one of the deputies \u2014 identified in the video as Shelby \u2014 began arguing with Burch. When Shelby noticed that a bystander was recording the confrontation on her cellphone, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his cellphone and began blasting Swift\u2019s \u201cBlank Space\u201d before tucking the phone into the front of his uniform. \u201cAre we having a dance party now?\u201d Burch can be heard asking on the video. The protester recording the video then asked Shelby whether he was trying to \u201cdrown out the conversation.\u201d Shelby replied, \u201cNo,\u201d while the music continued in the background. \u201cYou can record all you want, I just know it can\u2019t be posted to YouTube,\u201d he said. When Burch asked whether Shelby\u2019s actions were procedure for the Sheriff\u2019s Office, the sergeant responded: \u201cIt\u2019s not specifically outlined.\u201d The video has since gone viral, amassing more than 780,000 views on the Anti Police-Terror Project\u2019s Twitter page as of Friday. Kelly said sheriff\u2019s officials addressed the incident with Shelby, who has been with the department for 15 years. Further, all deputies will be advised about appropriate procedures during pre-shift meetings, Kelly said. An internal investigation has been launched to determine whether Shelby violated the department\u2019s code of conduct, officials said. And the Sheriff\u2019s Office is also in the process of writing a new policy that prohibits this type of behavior. Shelby is not the only law enforcement officer to exploit the internet\u2019s copyright-flagging systems. In February, a Beverly Hills police officer played Sublime\u2019s \u201cSanteria\u201d while being filmed during a confrontation with L.A. activist Sennett Devermont, who regularly livestreams protests and encounters with police on his Instagram account. Social media websites have adopted stringent rules and policies regarding the use of copyrighted music in posts, with platforms such as Instagram and YouTube prohibiting users from sharing any content that may contain copyrighted material, such as an image or a song. Police-reform advocates have reproached the tactic, saying it\u2019s a way for officers to avoid being held publicly accountable. Burch was not immediately available for comment Friday but said in a statement that the encounter with Shelby \u201cspeaks volumes\u201d to how the Alameda County Sheriff\u2019s Office perceives its relationship with the people of Oakland.<\/p>\n