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App To Hold Police Instantly Accountable In Stop and Search (thestack.com)

An anonymous reader writes: A collective of London-based youth clubs and organizations has released an app called Y-Stop to help encourage those involved in unfair police encounters to instantly record and report their experiences. The idea is to 'encourage police accountability' by making it easier for anyone to have a say about what they think may be unjustified or illegal police action. The app allows its user to immediately send audio and video footage of harassment for secure holding with the charities themselves, or with the police directly. It also enables easier communication with lawyers for assistance and advice.

5 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Pigs by Rob+Kaper · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why would excercising a legal right be intimidating or antagonising to an officer?

  2. Re: Walking While Black by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The idiot is walking on the road with the flow of traffic, when it's known that if you have to walk on the road then walk against the flow of traffic so you can see if you're going to get run over. But there's also that big concrete thing on the side of the road called a sidewalk. She was probably trying to incite trouble with the cops to be famous.

  3. Footage showing the police in the right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You bring up a very interesting point.

    What will happen when the footage and audio captured repeatedly shows that the police were in the right, that they acted reasonably, and that it was in fact the other party/parties who were in the wrong?

    Will the non-police parties actually admit that they were wrong? Or will they continue to live in a constant state of denial, even when all of the evidence shows that they were the ones in the wrong?

    The Michael Brown incident is a perfect example of this. We have some clear video footage of him mercilessly robbing a store and abusing the cashier just minutes before his encounter with police. Just after this criminal incident, he was disrupting traffic by walking down the middle of the street. Then when confronted by the police, all of the evidence from the grand jury investigation showed that he had repeatedly attacked the police officer physically, including trying to take the officer's gun.

    The officer did the only reasonable thing given the circumstances, and defended himself against this violent attacker using force, which ended up resulting in Brown's death. Yet despite all of the evidence available showing the police officer being completely in the right, and the violent thug completely in the wrong, it was still the officer who was mislabeled as having done wrong in this case. Thankfully, the justice system worked properly and brought the truth to light: the officer acted completely in self-defense, and did nothing wrong.

    Yet despite all of the clear and indisputable evidence showing how the events unfolded and who was responsible (Brown), Brown's supporters have continued to deny the truth and reality of the situation.

    I suspect we would see the same happen when it comes to footage and other evidence in general. The perpetrators in these cases are so convinced that they're "right", even when they're completely wrong, that they just can't accept it when the evidence shows that the police were actually in the right.

  4. Re:Youth who fail their social responsibilities. by inicom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Claiming that because some group may have some percentage of bad actors does not justify the criminal behavior in any way by police officers. In Miami Beach, the PD has a documented history of attacking anyone documenting crimes by police officers and destroying evidence. Bad officers are bad officers are bad officers and should in all case lose their certification and jobs. Any officer that breaks the law is violating their oaths and obligations to society.

    --
    -a.e.mossberg
  5. Re:This will be banned by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think this app is more going to be used to antagonize cops.

    Well, if they haven't done anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about.

    Seems to have been a popular statement applied toward civilians for some time.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.