Last night, I was about to upload a video of a fire that spread to two homes in Bridgeport.  The fire was discovered by Bridgeport Police on routine patrol.  The police called in the fire to dispatch and then evacuated the sleeping residents in the two multi-family homes.  Heroic, but if you ask the officers they would just say it’s part of the job.

Ironically, as I was about to upload this video, I discovered a notice from YouTube that said I had violated their guidelines in my video of the 2014 Bridgeport Police Awards and Promotions.  The notice said  It was “…flagged for review. Upon review, we’ve determined that it violates our guidelines”.  The reason cited was that the  “content that encourages illegal activities” and it “shouldn’t be designed to help or encourage others to imitate them”.

Stephen Krauchick, owner of DoingItLocal.com said “Is this where we are in society?  The video was reviewed by YouTube and it was deemed inappropriate!  At first I thought it was another bogus claim that someone claims to own the rights to the national anthem, which happens often.  But to claim it illegal and it encourages others is outrageous!”.   Krauchick continued, “When you work with first responders as often as I do, it is my honor to record the awards and promotion ceremonies for the officers and their families.  Posting it online allows them to share the video with their families and friends worldwide. If this the guidelines of YouTube, then I think it is time to move my videos and 2 million views to Vimeo, YouTube’s competition.”