OKLAHOMA CITY - The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma late last week launched Mobile Justice OK, a free smartphone app that allows Oklahomans to automatically record and upload cell phone videos of public interactions with law enforcement to the ACLU of Oklahoma. The same app is simultaneously being launched in 9 other states, including: Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington DC. The Mobile Justice App is already in use in California, Colorado, Missouri, New York, and Oregon.
Mobile Justice OK is available for use on Android and iOS phones and can be downloaded for free through Apple’s App Store or Google Play. It enables users to record, witness, and report interactions with law enforcement in public. The app also includes information about individuals’ rights.
Videos captured on the Mobile Justice OK app will be automatically transmitted to the ACLU of Oklahoma and preserved, even if the user’s phone is seized or destroyed or the video is deleted from the phone. A copy of the video will also be saved locally on the user’s phone.
“This app is a powerful tool that will help better protect the public when law enforcement crosses the line,” said ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director, Ryan Kiesel. “Not only does the Mobile Justice App give the public a tool that can be used to document and record the incident, but the app will also immediately share that information with people who can help.”
The functions of the app include:
- Record, which allows individuals to capture exchanges with police officers and other law enforcement officials in public places in audio and video files that are automatically sent to the ACLU of Oklahoma;
- Witness, which sends out an alert to anyone with the app, giving them the option to go to the location and document the encounter when police stop someone;
- Report, which allows the app user to complete an incident report and send it directly to the ACLU for review; and
- Know Your Rights, which provides an overview of individual’s rights when stopped by the police.
While Mobile Justice OK is intended for use by bystanders, the ACLU of Oklahoma recognizes that some users may want to use it while they are involved in a police encounter. Anyone interacting with law enforcement should announce that they are reaching for a phone and that they are attempting to access the app to record the exchange, and the app should only be used to record law enforcement interactions in public settings.
Learn more about Mobile Justice OK and download the app from the ACLU OK’s website at www.acluok.org/mobile-justice-ok.