As free citizens of the United States whether or not to obey a police order depends upon what the officer orders and under what circumstances the order occurs. Police do not have unlimited authority to order us around, and we are not universally obligated to obey what police order. Police officers often have no authority to order people to do what the officers want, such as telling people to stop recording them or to leave a certain area. Officers are authorized to use reasonable force to fulfill their duties, but there is no blanket rule allowing police to simply order us to do whatever they like.