Question: Under what circumstances can the police confiscate your video equipment when taping a police incident on a public road or sidewalk?

Answer: An officer may not take your camera or recording equipment merely because you are recording a public activity, said Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu. However, an officer could take away a piece of equipment if it was being used as a weapon or otherwise posed a hazard, she said.

The American Civil Liberties Union provides information about some of the legal issues that can arise, including advice on how to respond if you are stopped or detained for taking photographs of things that are plainly visible from public places. View the “Know Your Rights-Photographers” slideshow at 808ne.ws/1DLrUqt.

Honolulu defense attorney Myles Breiner emphasized that “simply being in a public place videotaping police activity is perfectly legal. The tendency has been for police to say ‘stop filming,’ and there is no legal basis for that.”

Breiner said that police may seize the equipment only if it is being “used to facilitate a crime or is the fruit of a crime.” Anyone prevented from documenting police activity in a public place should file a complaint with the Honolulu Police Commission if the incident occurred within 60 days, or with HPD’s Professional Standards Office if it occurred longer ago than that, he said. Breiner also advised seeking legal counsel; the Hawaii State Bar Association offers a free referral service at hawaiilawyerreferral.com.

Q: We have a bunch of recycling piled up — all sorts of stuff. Is there a one-stop-type event coming up?

Q: As we continue to upgrade/update personal computers and laptops, is there an organization that is willing to accept these used items as a donation?

A: Yes, there’s a “Going Green” one-stop drop-off event coming up on Aug. 29, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Jefferson Elementary School, 324 Kapahulu Ave. in Honolulu. This is one in a series of community recycling events that make it convenient for residents to dispose of a variety of items, with any proceeds going to charity. Accepted items will include computers, printers, scanners, cellphones, batteries, scrap metal, bicycles, propane tanks (three per donor), fire extinguishers (three per donor), TVs (one per donor), used household cooking oil, incandescent light bulbs, HI-5 beverage containers and more.

However, there also are items that won’t be accepted, including paper, tires, paint, microwave ovens, motor oil, hazardous fluids, most plastics, wood and bulky items.

The event also serves as a canned food and clothing drive, so feel free to bring those donations as well.

For more information, see www.opala.org/solid_waste/calendar/calendar.html, or call Rene Mansho at 291-6151 or email her at renemansho@hawaii.rr.com.

Q: Is there going to be a shredding event that is free to the public?

A: The Better Business Bureau has a free shredding event planned for Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon, with drop-off sites on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. Oahu will have two sites — in Aiea and Honolulu — accepting e-waste and documents to shred. So start gathering up your paperwork. We will publish all the details closer to the event.

Mahalo

A giant mahalo to Angel Mau, who works in the Bureau of Conveyances in the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Glenn Tamashiro of the Land Survey Division in the state Department of Accounting and General Services. I recently went to the DLNR not knowing where to begin looking for a deed and answers to a question about our property, but was delighted to find these two very helpful employees who answered my questions and led me through the process of finding all I need to know. Ms. Mau, very congenial, found my deed for me, and Mr. Tamashiro took the time to study my old tax map and answered all my questions and printed a new tax map for me while I was there. These two state workers epitomize the attitude of great customer service and reaffirmed my faith in government workers. — A satisfied customer

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.