ACLU Launches App That Allows Users To Record Interactions With Police
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- New Jersey and Pennsylvania are two of 12 states that'll get a new mobile app on Friday that will allow users to record interactions with police.
Get pulled over by police? Well, if things get tense, there's an app for that. It's called Mobile Justice and with the click of a big red button on a cell phone screen, a user can make a record of an interaction with police.
"Once you press you press that button the app will automatically start recording a video," says Ben Bowens who works for the ACLU of Pennsylvania.
He says the app records the video on the phone and sends a copy to the ACLU with the GPS location of the incident. He says the "report" function of the app allows users to add details like the officer's name, type of interaction and more, whether there is video or not. He says the "witness" function allows app users to get alerts if an interaction with police is taking place nearby.
"You can also actually go witness that incident taking place," says Bowens.
Mobile Justice also contains details on citizens' rights to record.
"It's just a good way to arm citizens with a tool that can help keep police accountable," says Bowens.
The app is already available in eight states. It will be available for download for Android and iPhone on Friday. More at https://www.aclu.org/feature/aclu-apps-record-police-conduct.
