Opponents of the NYPD’s Stop and Frisk policy are rolling out a smartphone app today to document run-ins with the police — but the new tool could put the public in even more danger, sources told The Post.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, which plans to unveil the “Stop and Frisk Watch” Android app outside Police Headquarters, would not provide details on how it will work.
But officials are concerned about any app that requires someone to reach into their pocket during a police stop.
“Just what we need, somebody telling kids stopped by the police to quickly pull a handheld advice out of their pocket,” said one law enforcement source.
The NYCLU claims stop-and-frisk interrogations have exploded during Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure, unfairly targeting black and Latino citizens.
Black and Latino males, between 14 and 24, comprised 41.6 percent of stops in 2011, even though that population only makes up 4.7 percent of New York, according to the NYCLU.
The group promised the app “will empower New Yorkers to monitor police activity and hold NYPD officers accountable for unlawful and abusive stop-and-frisk encounters.”
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the app runs the risk of compromising a citizen’s privacy,
“Surprising that the NYCLU wants to create a database of police stops, including arrests, without privacy guarantees,” he said.