While we trust police to protect us and keep order in our society, the truth of the matter that we learn far too often is that not all officers are completely ethical all the time. And sadly, for a number of people, that unethical conduct has led to false arrests, imprisonment, and situations where fighting back is extraordinarily difficult, especially when the only evidence is usually testimony from both the officer and victim.

This inspired Robert Petersen of Arizona to change how citizens can hold law enforcement accountable. He told USA Today “I have noticed in reading news articles and seeing reports on TV that in many cases you end up with police saying one thing happened and the citizen being pulled over saying another. And how do you determine truth? Sometimes the police have body cams, sometimes not, and even when they do it's not always released in a timely manner.”

The solution is something that's right there with the majority of Americans while they're driving: their smartphone. Petersen developed a new app for the iPhone that utilizes Apple's Siri virtual assistant to trigger a series of actions as well as record and archive the traffic stop. The add-on called Police is a part of the Shortcuts app that's included with iOS 12.

Using the new app is simple: as long as the shortcut is enabled, a user simply has to say “Hey Siri, I'm being pulled over,” and the phone will immediately take action. The shortcut pauses any music that's playing, turns the screen brightness down, and puts the phone into “do not disturb” mode. The phone automatically sends a text message to a pre-programmed emergency contact to let them know what's happening. Finally, the phone turns on the front camera and begins recording the sights and sounds of the stop.

Once the recording is stopped, the video is archived, sent to a specific contact, and the phone returns to normal brightness and disables do not disturb mode.

For the millions of people who own an Android phone, a similar app called “I'm Getting Arrested” is available on the Google Play store, and notifies a number of pre-determined contacts of their arrest with just a single click. The American Civil Liberties Union also created an app which allows people to record law enforcement activity and post it in a public forum.

How This App Can Help Your DUI Case

So much of a DUI case pertains to the circumstances of the arrest. Was it made legally? Did the officer sufficiently establish probable cause? Were your rights violated at any time during the arrest? Did the arresting officer follow established protocols when conducting field sobriety tests? Did they lie to you and force you to take a breathalyzer test before you were arrested, making you think you had no choice but to submit? These are all questions that could radically change the outlook of your case. Having video evidence to back up your testimony will only help your case, especially if it involves errors or malfeasance from an arresting officer.