In response to the brutal Cop Murder of Walter Scott rapper and poet Jay Smooth makes a point that when the worst happens on board a plane we have a built in Black Box to tell us what happens, but when the worst happens with Police Officers who violate our trust and violate their oath to serve and protect by shooting a man in the back, apparently attempting to plant the evidence he needs to support the lies in his police report, and then handcuff the dying man rather than save him....
In that worst case scenario, the only Black Box available - Is Us.
Via Rawstory:
“Let’s talk about this Walter Scott thing,” he said, “about how this officer can so callously stand there and shoot this man in the back; how he can so casually proceed to walk over and then by all appearances plant the evidence that’ll help him lie about what he just did.”
He went on to lament “how we once again witness the twisted ritual of cops putting handcuffs on a dying man instead of kneeling down to try and save him, why do they never try to save them?”
“And most of all the question his family’s lawyer asked last night about how this conversation would be going, would there be a conversation at all if we didn’t have the video?” Smooth asked.
“How often does this happen across America without scrutiny or consequence because none of us regular citizens happen to catch it on video?” he went on.
In the end Smooth suggests that rather than another version of
Spotify we need an app called
Copify that will record audio and video for us while simultaneous livestreaming and uploading to a
Copify cloud server so what is witnessed can't be destroyed by officers once they discover the phone and hit delete.
As it turns out, there already are such aps.
Cop Block recommended by Cop Block
Access the latest Cop Block articles and podcasts at the click of a button. Easy interface makes sharing content easy.
Cost: free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Shared via: Antijingoist
Cop Recorder 2
Cop Recorder can secretly record audio and then upload it to the OpenWatch server along with location data.
Cost: free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Shared via: Bryanne Belville
FastCase
For the most part, police powers have been federally defined; but there are legal and procedural quirks that vary from state to state, and FastCase is an excellent resource for both state and federal case law. FastCase goes way beyond the scope of a traffic stop or warrantless search—it lays out precedent for landmark decisions in almost every imaginable category—but that’s where the searchable database become helpful.
Cost: 24-hr trial, then subscription fees
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://fastcase.com
Shared via: Julia Peterson
Oh Crap App
Oh Crap App is a revolutionary new smart phone application which educates users of their legal rights based upon the state they are located (GPS based); assists them in invoking their rights; documents and preserves evidence of their interaction with law enforcement; and also connects the user with a qualified attorney in their geographic area when needed.
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://oh-crap-app.com
Open Watch
OpenWatch recorder can secretly record audio and video, and upload it to the OpenWatch server along with geolocation data.
Cost: free
Download: Android
More: https://openwatch.net
Shared via: Bryanne Belville
Peacekeeper recommended by Cop Block
Peacekeeper is an organization that builds and advocates voluntary systems of emergency protection. It is based on the belief that private individuals are the most superior means of protection within their communities.
Cost: free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://peacekeeper.org
Shared via: Cody Drummond
PocketJustice
After you’ve memorized the Bill of Rights, it’s time to move up to Supreme Court precedent, where the nitty-gritty of police powers are found. Most of you have probably seen this video of a legal student defending his Second Amendment rights in Portland, ME; you’ll notice that his ammunition is Supreme Court precedent, not just the text of the Bill of Rights. PocketJustice offers searchable transcripts of over 100 Supreme Court cases, as well as some audio of the oral arguments (good for brushing up in the car or on the metro). Most of the landmark police-powers cases are covered here, but it’s not so dense as to be overwhelming. If you want to go deeper, you can download the Pro version, which has transcripts for over 600 cases, and 300+ additional hours of Supreme Court audio. For people who want a basic understanding of their rights without a law degree, this is a great tool.
Cost: free through Oct., $4.99 for Pro
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://pocketjustice.com
Shared via: Julia Peterson
Police Scanner 5-0
Police Scanner 5-0 brings you more than 2,500 police, fire, rescue and other radio feeds over 3G or WiFi. You can search for channels in the U.S. and other countries by country, state or province and county. Find channels close to your location based on GPS or 3G/WiFi triangulation. This app can be very useful when out Copblocking.
Cost: free version with short ads or $1.99 w/o ads
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Shared via: Blake of LibertyWebAlliance.com
Police Tape
Citizens can hold police accountable in the palms of their hands with “Police Tape,” a smartphone application from the ACLU of New Jersey that allows people to securely and discreetly record and store interactions with police, as well as provide legal information about citizens’ rights when interacting with the police. Related video: How Does it Work?
Cost: free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://aclu-nj.org/...
Shared via: SteveA & Henryk Z
Scanner Radio Pro recommended by Cop Block
Listen to live audio from over 4,700 police and fire scanners. No ads. Record the radio traffic. Look up 10-codes. Browse nearby, keep your favorites, or access most-active. Bluetooth enabled.
Cost: $2.99
Download: Android
More: https://facebook.com/...
Shared via: Brian
Stop-and-Frisk
An easy way to hold the NYPD accountable for its actions. 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. Listen: This function alerts the user when people in their vicinity are being stopped by the police. Report: This prompts the survey, allowing users to report a police interaction they saw or experienced, even if they didn’t film it.
Cost: free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://nyclu.org/...
I'm not endorsing or advertising any of these myself, however I do think it's interesting that Jay Smooth's somewhat jokey suggestion - is already in place. A lot.
Vyan