According to FOX Carolina, the ACLU has developed a new “excessive force app.” It sounds like a pressure gauge, but it is merely a means of recording interactions with police officers and sending the documentation directly to the ACLU. Reportedly, the ACLU is responding to multiple allegations of excessive force in the state, none of which made it big in the news. North Carolina is one of seven states for which the app has been availed, for free.
Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan is not impressed. Reasons he disapproves of the app include:
- The marketing assumes officers are on the offensive.
- Officers are trained to look out for and respond to people reaching for things. Pulling a phone out of the purse looks just the same as pulling a gun or knife out until maybe too late.
- The phones may be used in ways that obstruct law enforcement.
- The app has a feature that may be used to invite others with it to come join the party.
The ACLU says it is clearly instructing users on the proper use of the device.
