The free "Mobile Justice CA" app released by the American Civil Liberties Union this week is a simple-to-
Use a program that can instantly record a video just by touching the screen, and then provide the user with the option to automatically send the video with another video to ACLU.
Specifically, ACLU says the app is a response to overuse
Policing, racial profiling and the excessive use of force-all of these topics are at the center --
In the last few weeks after Freddy Gray, a 25-year-
Black elderly people from Baltimore were injured and killed while in police custody.
"Video images have clearly become a powerful tool for documenting public and police encounters.
ACLU in California wants to make it more likely that more people will use their phones to record these events, allowing the public to hold officials accountable when they cross the line, said Hector villaela, executive director of ACLU in Southern California.
"We have seen some high-
If someone doesn't take out their cell phones and shoot videos, incidents of abuse, illegal shooting or murder will never be exposed, "Peter Bibo, a senior staff attorney at the office, told the Los Angeles Times.
"The video doesn't always capture everything, but it does provide more objective evidence of what actually happened," he said . ".
Mobile Justice CA is a Golden State that imitates previous versions for smartphone owners in New York, Missouri and Nebraska
A specific version of the ACLU California branch that immediately sends the recording to the local office chosen by the user.
The app appeared in Apple's iTunes store on Saturday and was updated on Monday before the official release of ACLU on Thursday this week.
There are also versions of Android users on Google Play.
Senior staff lawyer Biring recalled to The Times a question about a woman in South Gate earlier in April, when California snatched her recording equipment while she was trying to record police activity, then was broken by an American Marshal.
A neighbor managed to capture the encounter from their own device and has watched more than 1 video on YouTube.
5 million times a week since then
"The right to shoot police has been clearly established, and even so, we have seen similar incidents," said Biring . ".
In fact, federal officials announced Tuesday that a police officer in Buffalo across the country, New York, was charged with two allegations of deprivation of civil rights, allegedly beating a person detained by the police.
According to the FBI, one of the two presumed cases was captured by a witness, but was removed from their mobile phone at the request of another official.
In addition, the app also provides a feature that broadcasts the location of the person being recorded when enabled, so that others in the area are wary of suspicious activity.
Plus features that allow users to quickly capture police activity and instantly share it with civil rights experts, ACLU hopes the app will help citizens hold officials accountable by making it easier to hand over to others.
"People who have historically faced few law enforcement forces now have this tool to reclaim their power and dignity," said Patrisse Cullors, director of the truth and reinvestment campaign at the ella Baker Human Rights Center, on Thursday.
"Our vision is that this app will eventually help community members connect and organize to respond to law enforcement violence and then share their experience and knowledge with others," says Cullors . ".
The death of Freddie Gray and his subsequent arrest in Baltimore on April 12 is currently under review.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, former police officer Michael slig is still in custody after being charged with murder after he opened fire on a black man who had a traffic jam earlier this month
Slager is working at the North Charleston police station.
At the time of the incident, the witness's altercation lens helped raise awareness of the case and charged the officer.