Thanks to new and upcoming mobile apps, members of the public who feel they’ve been unfairly stopped or even harassed by the police won’t have to rely solely on police records or recordings to make their case.
Instead, the apps enable you to monitor how stop and search is conducted, either of yourself or someone else, and helps you to film and collect your own evidence and share it with civil rights groups.
The apps work by enabling users to instantly record police encounters and, at the push of a button, to send the recording to advocates who can intervene and/or offer legal advice.
The UK app is called Y-Stop.
It was co-produced by the London-based charities Release and StopWatch.
The app is available for Android and iOS as part of a wider scheme to manage the interaction between police and young people, many of whom don’t understand their rights or how to behave during a police encounter.
Y-Stop enables onlookers, or people involved in police encounters, to instantly record and report the experiences.
Y-Stop also offers users education about their rights and how to behave when being stopped and searched, as well as enabling them to file complaints directly to the police (with a copy going to Y-Stop), and get in contact with lawyers and experts for support.
The collective behind Y-Stop says in its mission statement that two years of research have shown that police encounters with young people are often confusing and stressful, as well as being divisive within communities:
We found out stop and search is a disempowering, frightening and frustrating experience for young people across the UK. It has a serious impact on communities too, creating a complete lack of trust and confidence in the police, as a result of the suspicion, neglect and prejudice we often face.
In the US, a similar app, called Mobile Justice, is due to be released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Nov. 13, 2015.
#FilmThePolice w/ our #MobileJustice app, coming to 17 states on Nov. 13. Help spread the word: https://t.co/1BZwphnTXm #Blacklivesmatter
— ACLU National (@ACLU) November 2, 2015
ACLU National ✔ @ACLU
#FilmThePolice w/ our #MobileJustice app, coming to 17 states on Nov. 13. Help spread the word: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/31881-keep-calm-and-hit-record?locale=en … #Blacklivesmatter
The free mobile app will be available on Android and iOS for use in 17 states and in Washington, D.C.
Mobile Justice will enable users to:
- Submit recordings directly and securely to your local ACLU affiliate.
- Get instant location alerts from fellow app users nearby.
- Access the ACLU’s “Know Your Rights” materials.
- Keep up-to-date on local and statewide ACLU actions and events.
Image of Woman filming police on mobile phone courtesy of arindambanerjee / Shutterstock.com
justiceISfake
I was stopped and searched in the UK for no reason other than I had no rights and had to submit (I am an american)…. when I asked why i was searched I was not given any reason other than, “we can”. (this happened in March 2015)
Never had this happen in the USA, so I feel like the UK might have a bigger problem with profiling than we do here in the USA. I doubt I would have been stopped if I had been a 75 year old grandmother.
Driving_While_Latino_In_Los_Angeles
I’ve had the pleasure of being stopped by the Los Angeles police department, Beverly Hills PD and county sheriff, for driving while Latino & having an older vehicle. Every stop was in a “nice” part of town. I drive my vehicles into the ground, and used to spend time at customer locations. Keeping an truck for moving equipment just made things easy. Remember when 500 meg drives weighed 75 pounds? Throw enough “sir” or “ma’m” at the nice armed officer and things stay quiet.
Funny thing, I never got stopped when I had my wife’s Lexus for the day.
Anonymous
Don’t kid yourself sir the “police” in the US are just as corrupt, rude and unprofessional as they are in the UK. The “police” in the US just do a better job of hiding it.
Nysssa
So #BlackLivesMatter, unless they use Windows Phone.