WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Two men arrested along a 2007 parade route are asking a federal jury to decide the New Orleans Police
Department has a custom of arresting or threatening people who videotape or photograph officers.

Seven jurors heard closing arguments Wednesday in a trial about claims that police officers violated the constitutional rights of plaintiffs Greg Griffith and Noah Learned.

Griffith claims he was falsely arrested for filming officers with a digital camera. Lawyers for the city say he and Learned interfered with officers breaking up a fight.

The plaintiffs have cited 11 other incidents since 2005 in which police allegedly tried to stop people from taping, photographing or observing officers. They are seeking monetary damages and a court order that could require the department to changes its practices.