While Baltimore City police are still in the midst of rolling out body cameras, the ACLU of Maryland is launching an app that’s designed to help citizens record interactions with police.
Mobile Justice MD is a free app on the Apple Store and Google Play that allows people to record police officers. The app, which multiple local branches of the ACLU are releasing in concert, then automatically sends the footage to the ACLU so the evidence can’t be destroyed. It also has a function that sends out an alert when someone is being approached by police, and an option to create an incident report.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1M-tLoiJ4s
Cellphone videos have played a big role in bringing national attention to police-involved killings. In Baltimore, activist Kevin Moore filmed police as they put Freddie Gray into a police van prior to his death. In fall 2014, two police brutality incidents in Baltimore came to light as a result of cellphone video. The ACLU says the app can also be used during protests.
“Now, those in communities experiencing racial profiling, over-policing, and military-style policing tactics, along with their allies, can record police encounters and be assured that the recording is safe,” said Susan Goering, the ACLU of Maryland’s executive director.