ACLU Unveils Video Recording App To Document Police Encounters

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Keeping an eye on police and police hands off video. It's part of a new smart phone app released Friday.

Alex DeMetrick with the organization behind the Mobile Justice App.

The promo is on YouTube--a free app from the ACLU.

"For many people, making a complaint about the police is a scary thing to do," said David Rocah, Baltimore ACLU.

Controversial police behavior captured by smart phones has upped the scrutiny level. The ACLU says that makes phones a potential target.

Its mobile justice app allows users to record, report and send a copy for possible investigation.

"A back-up copy that the police don't have the power to seize or destroy," said Rocah.

In Baltimore, cameras have caught police assaults on the public and assaults by the public on police.

Both sides of that coin have Baltimore police testing their own body cameras for deployment next year.

"The police department's efforts, the city's efforts, to push transparency forward," said Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere, Baltimore City Police Department.

The ACLU's app aims to give the public a secure way to store their videos.

"And there's a record of what happened. So if you lose your phone or the police take it, you've already sent it," said Dr. Marvin Cheatham, community organizer.

The Mobile Justice App also details when and where it's legal for the public to record the police.

The app allows people to send video anonymously to the ACLU or offer detailed accounts with names and addresses.