In defence of human rights in a country, technologies such as mobile applications to monitor civilian interactions with the police can be very effective. Today, footage from smartphones have become a tool for citizens to record police activity as witnesses or as victims in case of harassment. The most recent police activity recorded was the George Floyd incident that recorded two officers unlawfully harassing thereby killing an unarmed citizen which sparked global protests. The rise of excessive use of force by police officers led the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to develop a mobile justice app to record such incidences ( Gershowitz, 2019) . Any citizen can use the mobile application launched in 2015 to take picture or record police activities, and they cannot confiscate them without a warrant. The application has three main features which are witness, report and record. It also has additional functionalities depending on the location, such its application on Border Patrol police in the New Mexico App.
How do the main features work?
Record is the primary function of the application. After it has been downloaded in either google play store or apple store, an individual can tap ‘Record’ on the main screen of the application. The application will immediately start recording activity using the phone’s camera, and when the camera icon is tapped, the footage will automatically be sent to ACLU’s database. To test the filming functionalities of the application, tap the ‘Test’ button, and the footage cannot be uploaded to their database.
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After recording, the application will ask for more information about the incidence using a ‘report’ feature. In this case, the app will take the user to a report screen after successful recording an incident. There, the user is allowed to fill in more information such as the location of the incident, ethnicity, and gender of the user engaging with the police, among other activities. The application also allows the user to fill in more information about the officer involved in the incident. Other details required in the report feature include any use of weapons or force and officer’s badge number. The user can also add any extra information and tap ‘submit survey’ button. Reports sent to ACLU’s database are anonymous, but an individual can opt to fill in their name and other personal information on the settings menu. Additionally, one can report an incidence without recording the incidence.
Finally, the application has a witness functionality that is designed to connect users within the same region who might need help. By tapping on the ‘witness’ button, the application can show other users where a police stop is located and lets other users know where the user is. Before using it, the user should go to the application setting menu and turn on ‘Broadcast my Location’. It then turns on a green little eye icon and other users will get a notification of the broadcast and locate them using maps.
Police Recording Devices
Police recording devices are used small cameras with audio recording functionalities worn on law enforcer’s chest or on their vehicles to record their interactions with the public. The captured sound and video footages and record them in an internal data storage for later review. According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, recording police interaction with the public demonstrates transparency and deters illegal and unprofessional behaviours by the police and public ( Lippert & Newell, 2016) . Police recording is useful in several ways. First, they improve law enforcement accountability by reducing police misconduct. Secondly, they can be powerful in cases of domestic violence since they provide accurate results and acts as backup evidence. Finally, the devices are good police reform tools since the members of the public strongly support them. Even though the devices are helpful, they are too expensive and unreliable to many state departments in the United States. With the use of facial recognition software, the devices invade citizen’s privacy by exposing victims. Finally, recording devices decreases law enforcer’s safety and negatively affects their mental health.
References
Gershowitz, A. M. (2019). Criminal-Justice Apps: A Modest Step Toward Democratizing the Criminal Process. Va. L. Rev. Online , 105 , 37.
Lippert, R. K., & Newell, B. C. (2016). Debate introduction: the privacy and surveillance implications of police body cameras. Surveillance & society , 14 (1), 113-116.
