Behind the Camera: Understanding the Audit with Otto the Watchdog

Behind the Camera: Understanding the Audit with Otto the Watchdog

From Two Cops One Donut by Sgt. Erik Lavigne

April 20, 2026 · 3h 6m · Season 3 · Episode 15

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of First Amendment rights in public spaces with activist Otto The Watchdog.

A guy with a sign on a street corner shouldn’t be able to expose a training crisis, but that’s exactly what happens when police misunderstand the First Amendment in public. We bring on Otto The Watchdog, a longtime First Amendment auditor and activist, to talk through the real rules behind profanity, filming, and protected speech and why “I don’t like it” is not the same thing as “it’s illegal.” Along the way, we break down the case law that keeps showing up in viral videos and why basic cons...

People in this episode

Host: Sgt. Erik Lavigne

Guest: Otto The Watchdog

Topics covered

  • First Amendment
  • police training
  • public filming
  • protected speech
  • case law
  • activism

Keywords

  • First Amendment
  • police
  • auditing
  • free speech
  • case law
  • activism
  • public filming

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: First Amendment

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