“That audio and video is automatically uploaded to the ACLU of Minnesota”, she said. Mobile Justice lets users register, record, witness and report incidents with police and offers information on individual rights. “The Mobile Justice MN app is one way you can put a check on law enforcement misconduct wherever, whenever”.
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“Mobile Justice AZ is available for use on Android and iOS phones and can be downloaded free through Apple’s App Store or Google Play”, the ACLU of Arizona press release says.
The American Civil Liberties Union introduced a new app on Friday which will allow citizens to upload video of police incidents and help hold law enforcement accountable. This ACLU app has already launched in other states across the country.
“I think [the app] is really critical”, said Teresa Nelson, legal director of ACLU MN”. “We have to remember when police are recording people through body cams, they are government officials making a government document”.
The rise of cellphone video has allowed residents to record interactions with police, many of which have gone viral, including the April arrest of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in West Baltimore. “That’s something that we expect as a community – that police will be accountable and this video might capture both misconduct as well as exemplary actions by police”. The organization says the app was created to comply with individual-privacy laws.
The witness option shows ACLU mobile justice users where a police stop is taking place and alerts nearby people to come to the scene, perhaps putting victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in the spotlight. “Doing more to deteriorate police community relations”. Report allows the user to complete a written incident report and send it directly to the ACLU of Arizona for review.
The ACLU provides “Know Your Rights” trainings on basic rights related to interactions with law enforcement.
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Anyone interacting with law enforcement should announce that they are reaching for a phone, and that they are attempting to access the app to record the exchange.
