7 Tips for Reporting Live Via Your Phone From Anywhere
WIRED spoke with Peter Bibring—director of police practices for the ACLU of California and an architect of Mobile Justice, a free app that allows users to transmit live video of police encounters directly to the ACLU—about what people need to know before they start livestreaming.
Recording is good; livestreaming is better.
Rather than shoot video of an event and store it on your mobile device—which could be confiscated or destroyed—you should livestream it to make sure the footage is secure (it’s usually stored on your platform’s server automatically) as well as instantly viewable.
520 DesignKnow your rights.
Filming the police is not only legal—it’s constitutionally protected. Any bystander has the right to film police activity so long as they’re not interfering with an officer’s ability to do their job.
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Make no sudden movements.
Don’t reach quickly into your pocket or bag to take out your phone. An officer might perceive that as reaching for a weapon.
520 DesignGo wide.
Hold your phone horizontally (in landscape mode) to capture as much of the scene as you can.
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Don’t use flashes or lights.
Shining a light or a flash on a police encounter can be considered interference. Even if the scene is dark, you’ll still pick up audio.
520 DesignWatch the scene, not the screen.
Keep an eye on what’s happening both in and around the scene so that you can adjust your angle or position as needed.
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And if you’re the subject of the police investigation ...
Start recording and put your phone down. If you’re in a car and you get pulled over, that means in the console or on the dashboard. If you’re out and about, that means in your pocket. You’ll pick up audio, and sometimes that’s all you need to back up your story.
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