Whole hood needs this app ASAP. Feel a way about a recent altercation with the NYPD well there is an app for that. Check it out below.
The New York Civil Liberties Union unveiled a new smart phone application that enables users to report violations of the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy.
By downloading the “Stop and Frisk Watch†app, bystanders can record incidents of cops stopping and questioning people. They can then send the video straight to the NYCLU, which will investigate possible misconduct.
NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous said the new app puts “powerful tools of documentation in the hands of people in the city.â€
The crime-fighting tactic of stopping, questioning and sometimes frisking suspects has drawn criticism since the vast majority of the 685,000 people stopped last year were black or Latino. City officials, though, credit it with driving crime down to record lows and recently outlined a series of changes to improve the policy.
With the app, users who witness a questionable stop can press a button that records the incident. Filming is stopped with a shake of the phone, then users fill out a form describing details of the occurrence. The video is sent to NYCLU, which will decide whether any action needs to be taken.
Users of the app also receive an alert when someone else in the area is reporting a police stop.
Council Member Jumaane Williams, a fierce critic of the policy, said he believes“this app probably will save somebody’s life, figuratively and literally.â€
