Tuesday, February 12, 2013

For all the Non-White men in New York City, this App's for you

From Balloon Juice:

Stop-and-Frisk? There’s an App for That …

By Elon James White February 7th, 2013

The New York Civil Liberties Union released the iPhone version of their Stop & Frisk app that allows users to film and immediately send footage directly to the NYCLU. They released the Android app last June and one of their earliest videos is now the center piece of their ad.



From The NYACLU page:

Stop and Frisk Watch App

“Stop and Frisk Watch” is a free and innovative smart phone application that empowers New Yorkers to monitor police activity and hold the NYPD accountable for unlawful stop-and-frisk encounters and other police misconduct.

The app is available in English on both Android and iPhone devices and Spanish in the Android version, thanks to a translation by Make the Road New York. Stop and Frisk Watch allows bystanders to fully document stop-and-frisk encounters and alert community members when a street stop is in progress.

It has three primary functions:

•RECORD: This allows the user to film an incident with audio by simply pushing a trigger on the phone’s frame. Shaking the phone stops the filming. When filming stops, the user immediately receives a brief survey allowing them to provide details about the incident. The video and survey will go to the NYCLU, which will use the information to shed light on the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices and hold the Department accountable for its actions.

•LISTEN: This function alerts the user when people in their vicinity are being stopped by the police. When other app users in the area trigger Stop and Frisk Watch, the user receives a message reporting where the police stop is happening. This feature is especially useful for community groups who monitor police activity.

•REPORT: This prompts the survey, allowing users to report a police interaction they saw or experienced, even if they didn’t film it.




THE APP LINKS ARE AT THE LINK ABOVE FOR NYC ACLU.

2 comments:

Brian said...

Have always had mixed feelings about stop & frisk. On one hand... it can be a tool to suppress crime. But w/o sufficient probable cause... it's a recipe for misuse/profiling.

rikyrah said...

Brian,

the stats don't lie.

the ' success' of Stop and Frisk?

less than TWO PERCENT of the Stop and Frisk folks actually have a weapon.

it's just a way to harrass Black and Brown men.