Activist Sennett Devermont discovered the cunning plan was at the department to file a form to obtain body camera footage from an incident in which he received a ticket he felt was unfair. Devermont also happens to be a well-known LA area activist, who regularly live-streams protests and interactions with the police to his more than 300,000 followers on Instagram. So, he streamed this visit as well.

In a video posted on his Instagram account, we see a mostly cordial conversation between Devermont and BHPD Sgt. Billy Fair turn a corner when Fair becomes upset that Devermont is live streaming the interaction, including showing work contact information for another officer.

Fair asks how many people are watching, to which Devermont replies, "Enough". Fair then stops answering questions, pulls out his phone, and starts silently swiping around -- and that's when the ska music starts playing. Fair boosts the volume and continues staring at his phone. For nearly a full minute, Fair is silent, and only starts speaking after we're a good way through Sublime's "Santeria".

Instagram has been increasingly strict on posting copyrighted material. Any video that contains music, even if it's playing in the background, is potentially subject to removal by Instagram. Most people complain about these rules. Beverly Hills law enforcement, however, seems to be a fan.

"Under most circumstances, civilians are legally permitted to openly film on-duty police officers under the First Amendment. And while the interaction between Devermont and Fair is pretty benign, BHPD's recent behavior suggests that at least some cops believe they can prevent themselves from being filmed or livestreamed by playing copyrighted music, which would have serious implications for more serious incidents of police misconduct."

Beverly Hills coppers told Vice that "the playing of music while accepting a complaint or answering questions is not a procedure that has been recommended by Beverly Hills Police command staff" and that the videos of Fair were "currently under review".