Metro

NYCLU unveils frisk video app

The NYCLU unveiled its “Stop and Frisk Watch” smartphone app in front of police headquarters today.

Users of the app can hit record to start shooting video if they witness a stop. If they shake the phone, it stops filming, and the video is sent to NYCLU. Users are also asked to take a brief survey about the stop. The NYCLU said they’ll use the video to investigate incidents, but won’t keep the information in a database.

The app can even be used to find stop-and-frisks going on in your neighborhood, or to report a police incident that wasn’t filmed.

Executive director Donna Lieberman stressed that witnesses should not interfere with the stop, and that people stopped by cops should cooperate.

The Occupy Wall Street-inspired software was designed by Jason Van Anden, a Brooklyn artist who made the app “I’m Getting Arrested,” which protesters used to send texts to their contacts when they were taken into police custody.

The NYCLU claims the number of stop-and-frisks have exploded during Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure, unfairly targeting blacks and Latinos.

“I came here to see the app,” said Jason Javier, 23, of Washington Heights. “People are starting to record stop and frisks, and this can help. It’s very simple.”

The app is currently available for Android phones, and an iPhone version will be available later this summer.