How do you safely film a group of masked armed men while they are in the process of committing a crime, without them knowing that you are recording? [USA]

being around police officers of any kind isn't safe but you can film them as much as you want

With hidden cameras.

I would have a shirt with a hole cut in the breast pocket. Then point a phone camera out while it records.

A few details: you’ll want a busy pattern on the shirt to make the hole less noticeable. You’ll also want an app that can record without easily being stopped (the default camera on my phone can be interfered with just by moving around inside a pocket).

Have a bigger gun with you.

Pretend to be on the phone

Drone?

You can buy body cameras that you can hide in a button front shirt, or on the collar of a t shirt

Not that it helps the victims but maybe we need a bunch of falsely abused and detained reporters able to afford significant lawsuits.

I like to think I’d stand up and do it, but I’m white and in a state where we don’t often have such conflict.

I mean we do, you can’t avoid it with the current administration. However it’s just not as often. Actually a couple of weeks ago one of my city councillors was roughly detained for videoing a gang of masked thugs depriving people of their rights. However while I don’t think it’s as simple as racism, he is Hispanic and that clearly makes a difference