Thursday, July 19, 2012

ACLU’s new Android app lets users secretly record police misconduct

A new Android application released by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) and OpenWatch.net allows users to secretly record police encounters and automatically save their recordings to a public website for all to see.

Called “Police Tape,” the ACLU-NJ’s app builds on work done by OpenWatch.net with their “Cop Recorder” and “OpenWatch Recorder” programs, which essentially carry out the same functions, albeit in less polished form. ACLU-NJ’s release adds even more helpful content, like legal advice on citizens’ rights during police encounters.

“This app provides an essential tool for police accountability,” ACLU-NJ Executive Director Deborah Jacobs said in an advisory. “Too often incidents of serious misconduct go unreported because citizens don’t feel that they will be believed. Here, the technology empowers citizens to place a check on police power directly.”

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