The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has developed a smartphone app for civilians to record and report police conduct. Named, Mobile Justice, the app records videos and then sends them directly to your local ACLU. Afterward, users will be directed to a survey where they can detail the specifics of their police encounter. In accordance with state laws and modifications, the Mobile Justice app is state-specific and available for download in 18 states.
Aside from the Mobile Justice app, the state of New York has the Stop and Frisk Watch, reports Refinery 29. The app has a similar purpose to the Mobile Justice app but is designed to capture racial profiling and abuse at the hands of New York City police officers. And although New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio has ended the practice of stop and frisk, Presidential Candidate Donald Trump wants to reinstate the method nationwide. “His support for polarizing crime-fighting policy —which involves officers’ questioning and searching pedestrians — collides with his highly visible courtship of African-Americans, who have been disproportionately singled out by the tactic, data shows,” The New York Times reports.
Despite the need for video recordings of police conduct during this current social climate, many police unions and departments are against the usage of apps and even body cameras because it may hinder their “bargaining rights” as police officers, CBS Boston notes. Because of this, the Mobile Justice app has a “Know Your Rights” section to inform civilians of their legal rights and has been made available in both Spanish and English.
Mobile Justice can be downloaded in the Apple and Andriod app stores.