The ACLU of Missouri launched a new app in hopes of protecting citizens’ right during encounters with law enforcement.
The app is called Mobile Justice and the ACLU affiliates in Mississippi, Oregon and Nebraska also launched it on Thursday.
Sarah Rossi is the Director of Advocacy and Policy for the ACLU of Missouri. She said the ACLU has had this app in development for about a year. But, she said, recent events in Missouri solidified its need.
“We've had a variety of lawsuits, mostly that have come out of the Ferguson protests about violations in civil rights by law enforcement officers either making people move off the street, unfairly arresting them or taking their cameras away,” said Rossi.
Mobile Justice will have four primary functions. First, the app will describe a citizen’s rights when they’re in a situation involving law enforcement. It will also provide a link to the ACLU of Missouri’s website where people can learn more information about their rights.
The app also has a record function. Rossi said if you are in a situation with law enforcement or witness one, you can record through the app. When you stop recording, by simply shaking your phone, the video clip is automatically sent to the ACLU of Missouri.
There is also a witness function on the app which allows you to alert other app users of an incident involving you. Rossi said that will allow other users to find you and record the incident, if necessary.
Finally, the app also allows you to write up an incident report and send it to the ACLU of Missouri.
“We're hoping the more we are able to document these civil rights violations, the more we can combat them and actually use our litigation department to utilize legal avenues to get it to stop,” said Rossi.
The ACLU of Missouri launched the app in Ferguson, Missouri because of the protests surrounding Michael Brown’s shooting death by Officer Darren Wilson. However, it is available statewide.
“We want people to download it and if they feel like they're being accosted by police officers in an inappropriate way, then document it and send it to us,” Rossi said.
The app is free and available only for Android devices currently. There is an iPhone version in the works.
Learn more about the Mobile Justice app on the ACLU of Missouri’s website.
