A new app released by the American Civil Liberties Union allows citizens to record and upload interactions with police as a way to put a check on law enforcement misconduct, according to its app store description.
Videos recorded using the now statewide Mobile Justice CA app, available for both iPhones and Androids, will be sent and stored to the ACLU servers in order to ensure preservation if the user’s phone is later seized or destroyed, according to a press release from the ACLU.
Since its original release in Orange County on April 30, the free Mobile Justice app has been downloaded by roughly 140,000 people in California alone, according to an article in the OC Register.
“The ACLU of California wants to make it more likely that even more individuals will use their phones to record those incidents, enabling the public to hold officers accountable when they cross the line,” said Hector Villagra, ACLU Southern California’s executive director.
Public onlookers are the app’s target demographic. The press release stated that users interacting with law enforcement should verbally announce that they are reaching for a phone and attempting to access Mobile Justice and record the exchange.
“The concerns over police practices, including racial profiling and excessive use of force, are very real for communities across the state,” Villagra said in a press release.
The release of the ACLU’s Mobile Justice CA app coincides with the watchful eye citizens and the media have placed on law enforcement following several high-profile cases of police officers across the country shooting unarmed citizens such as Michael Brown and Walter Scott.
The recent incidences of excessive force have only contributed to the growing tension between police and citizens and may be the reason for the app’s popularity.
The Mobile Justice app also allows users to send an alert to anybody else who has the app within a five-mile radius, broadcasting their location and allowing other users to go to the site and document the encounter.
“I definitely think that this is an app which will help a lot of people,” said Jimmy Tran, a CSULB sociology program graduate. “Even growing up as Vietnamese, I myself have experienced a lot of police profiling…”
Mobile Justice also has a “Know Your Rights” section for users to access a list of protections when stopped by law enforcement, including rights of students, protesters and women breastfeeding in public areas. App users can also file incident reports and send them directly to the ACLU for review.
Frequently asked questions about Mobile Justice CA
What does the Mobile Justice CA smartphone app do?
Mobile Justice CA allows users to RECORD interaction with police officers and other law enforcement officials, WITNESS encounters by sending out alerts to other users within a five-mile radius, REPORT incidences to ACLU SoCal for further review, and KNOW YOUR RIGHTS so citizens stopped by law enforcement officials know that the law protects them.
Can this app be used in classrooms, polling places, and other settings?
There may be legal restrictions on the use of Mobile Justice CA in situations not related to law enforcement. According to the state’s two-party consent law, it is considered a crime to record any interaction where the other party may have a reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g. classrooms, polling places, etc.).
Can ACLU share the incident reports with the public?
Incident reports submitted to the ACLU are confidential, much like legal papers. The ACLU may share facts written into the reports only with the removal of any identifying information in order to expose misconduct. Videos are not considered private and may be shared with community organizations or the general public.
How long will the ACLU keep information we receive through Mobile Justice CA?
The ACLU has the right to delete any information sent to its servers, meaning that videos or recordings shared with them will not be available forever. However, Mobile Justice does save a copy of any recording to the user’s smartphone before sending another to the ACLU.
Can immigrants, including those who lack authorization to be in the U.S., use the Mobile Justice CA app?
Immigrants may use Mobile Justice CA to record misconduct from law enforcement, but any resulting arrest can lead to authorities checking that person’s immigration status and possibly even deportation.