The app, created by Darren Baptiste, automatically begins recording when opened. The video can be edited, and once finished, will instantly upload to YouTube. As well, a link to the video, as well as the location of the videographer, is sent to the Network for the Elimination of Police Violence.
Baptiste told the Toronto Star that he had the idea for Cop Watch years ago, but wasn’t sure about how legal the app would be. He became more confident when he attended a workshop last November called “Do I have the right to film police?” with a panel comprised of legal experts and community activists.
In an interview with Digital Journal, Baptiste said “the environment feels more rife with [police violence].”
“I want to help or advance the conversation about police violence,” he said.
The Star mentions that there’s no law in Canada that prevents civilians from filming, so to make sure citizens know their rights, the app also includes legal references.
Baptise spent exactly 127 hours, spread over three months developing the app. In other interviews he called the app the “most important thing” he’s ever made.
“I write apps for a living,” he told Digital Journal. “The typical app I’m doing is for a business or corporation. This can help a conversation that can save people’s lives.”
Since the story came out in the Star, he said that he’s seen downloads increase tenfold, and that he’s getting a lot of interest in the app, especially in seeing it developed for other platforms. He expects to have versions of the app for two other major platforms in the next month or so.
Meanwhile, Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association, says the force is not bothered, but advises consumers to “save your 99 cents” and not download the app.
“Police officers in this city behave themselves accordingly,” McCormack told Global News.
Baptiste respectfully disagreed.
“Let the record show,” he told Digital Journal. “If that were truly the case people would dismiss [the app] out of hand.”
McCormack also suggested that he would like to see develops create apps that stops crime, instead of focusing on just individual interactions with police, though he did admit it can be helpful in investigations of police violence.
“There’s no limit. You can take a picture of anything you want. It’s all in how people use it,” Baptiste said.
Finally, Baptise cleared up any misconceptions on what happens once a filmed video is uploaded.
“Some people are under the impression that what they shoot is live and visible to the world,” he said. Rather, the video is uploaded to your YouTube account, at which point you can choose to make it public or private. He also clarified that any filmed video is not streaming live.
