100% Free Forever
By TransparencyNow →

Your Constitutional
Shield in Your Pocket

When the lights flash in your mirror, you have seconds to protect yourself. CopDefender puts your rights, a tamper-proof recorder, and a civil rights attorney one tap away — before the officer reaches your window.

Weekly rights tip + early access to new features. Unsubscribe anytime.

  • ✓ Auto-records & encrypts to the cloud (even if your phone is taken)
  • ✓ Geo-aware rights for all 50 states
  • ✓ One-tap SOS to your emergency contacts with GPS
  • ✓ Built by the team behind TransparencyNow.org
⬇ Get the App — Free 📖 Know Your Rights
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

No account required · No ads · Your evidence belongs to you

🛡️
CopDefender
Protect Your Rights. Record Everything.
🔴
One-Tap Emergency Recording
☁️
Real-Time Cloud Backup
📍
Geo-Aware Legal Rights
⚖️
Attorney Network Access
🚨
Emergency Contact Alerts
0
Traffic Stops Per Year
Source: DOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics
0
Killed By Police Annually
Source: Mapping Police Violence
0
States Covered
Geo-aware rights for every jurisdiction
0
Two-Party Consent States
CopDefender warns you automatically
⚠️ The Problem

Every Traffic Stop is a
Constitutional Rights Test

Most Americans unknowingly waive their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights during police encounters. Without knowing what to say — and what not to say — you risk self-incrimination, illegal searches, and lost evidence.

❌ Without CopDefender

  • • Panicking and forgetting your rights
  • • Accidentally admitting guilt
  • • Consenting to searches unknowingly
  • • Evidence deleted from your phone
  • • No legal support when you need it
  • • Not knowing your state's specific laws

✅ With CopDefender

  • • Instant access to exact phrases to use
  • • Know exactly what to say and not say
  • • Clear refusal scripts for searches
  • • Evidence auto-backed up to encrypted cloud
  • • One-tap attorney directory by state
  • • Geo-aware rights for your exact location

📊 The Reality

  • • ~24M U.S. drivers pulled over each year (DOJ BJS, 2020)
  • • Average traffic stop lasts ~10 minutes — every second matters
  • • Qualified immunity has shielded police in the majority of §1983 suits (Schwartz, NYU Law)
  • • Video evidence is admissible in court and routinely changes case outcomes
  • • 11 states require all-party recording consent (RCFP)
  • • Only a small fraction of officer misconduct results in formal discipline (Washington Post investigation)
🛡️ Features

Everything You Need to
Protect Your Rights

CopDefender combines real-time recording, legal intelligence, and emergency response into one powerful app.

🔴

One-Tap Recording

Start recording instantly with a single tap or deep link. Video recording with timer, camera flip, and evidence preservation built in.

Learn more →
☁️

Real-Time Cloud Backup

3-second video segments are automatically encrypted and uploaded to Supabase. Even if your phone is confiscated, your evidence is safe.

How it works →
📍

Geo-Aware Legal Engine

Automatically detects your location and shows jurisdiction-specific rights for all 50 states. Recording consent, carry laws, stop-and-identify rules, and more.

Check your state →
⚖️

Attorney Directory

Find civil rights attorneys near you, filtered by specialty. Search by state, expertise, and ratings. Direct call and email from the app.

Find an attorney →
🚨

Emergency Alerts

GPS-enabled incident alerts automatically send your location and a Google Maps link to your emergency contacts via SMS when recording starts.

Emergency guide →
🧠

Interactive Scenario Guides

Practice with realistic traffic stop scenarios. Learn what to say in each situation with branching Q&A for 6 common police encounter types.

Practice now →
📚

Legal Education Library

Bust 14 common legal myths, understand federal vs state law differences, and learn the complete post-arrest process step by step.

Start learning →
🔒

Evidence Protection

SHA-256 hashed segments, exponential backoff retry, and queue persistence ensure your evidence reaches the encrypted server no matter what.

🚔

Police Tactics Education

Understand common police tactics: intimidation, false consent, misleading questions, and pressure tactics. Know what they're doing and why.

Learn tactics →
🔄 How It Works

Protected in Under 3 Seconds

From the moment you see those lights in your mirror, CopDefender has you covered.

1

Open & Record

Launch CopDefender with one tap or use the deep link copdefender://record to jump straight to recording. The camera starts immediately with a visible timer.

2

Auto-Backup to Encrypted Cloud

Every 3 seconds, a new video segment is SHA-256 hashed and uploaded to an encrypted Supabase server. Even if your phone is taken, your evidence is already safe in the cloud.

3

Emergency Contacts Alerted

Your emergency contacts receive an SMS with your GPS coordinates and a Google Maps link. They know exactly where you are and that you need support.

4

Know Your Exact Rights

CopDefender detects your state and shows you jurisdiction-specific rights: recording consent laws, stop-and-identify rules, concealed carry protocols, and passenger rights — all in real-time.

5

Connect With an Attorney

If you need legal help, instantly browse civil rights attorneys in your area filtered by specialty and ratings. Call or email directly from the app.

📜 Your Rights

Constitutional Rights You
Should Know by Heart

These amendments protect you during every police encounter. Learn them before you need them.

4th

Fourth Amendment

Search & Seizure Protection

Protects against unreasonable searches. Officers need probable cause or a warrant. You can refuse consent to searches.

"I do not consent to any searches."

5th

Fifth Amendment

Right to Remain Silent

You cannot be compelled to testify against yourself. You have the right to remain silent and request an attorney.

"I exercise my right to remain silent."

1st

First Amendment

Right to Record

You have a constitutional right to record police performing duties in public. No permission needed — but know your state's consent laws.

11 states require all-party consent for audio

🚗

Traffic Stop Rights

Combined Amendments

You must show ID but don't have to answer questions. You can refuse searches and closed container inspections. Stay calm and document.

Never admit guilt: "No officer, I don't know."

📖 View Full Rights Guide for Your State
⚖️ Attorney Network

Civil Rights Attorneys
Ready to Fight For You

Access our nationwide directory of experienced civil rights and criminal defense attorneys, sorted by your jurisdiction.

⚖️

Police Misconduct

Section 1983 lawsuits, excessive force claims, illegal arrests, and qualified immunity challenges.

Find attorneys →
📜

Constitutional & Civil Rights

First, Fourth, Fifth Amendment violations, racial profiling, and federal civil rights claims.

Find attorneys →
🛡️

Criminal Defense

DUI defense, search & seizure motions, evidence suppression, and post-arrest representation.

Find attorneys →
⚖️ Browse Full Attorney Directory
❌ Common Myths

Legal Myths That Could
Cost You Everything

Don't let misinformation put you at risk. These are the most dangerous misconceptions about your rights.

MYTH

"You must answer all questions a police officer asks."

REALITY: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent. You must provide license and registration, but nothing more.

MYTH

"Recording police is illegal."

REALITY: Recording police in public is protected by the First Amendment in all 50 states. Some states have two-party consent for audio.

MYTH

"If you have nothing to hide, you should let police search."

REALITY: Exercising your Fourth Amendment rights is never suspicious. Refusing a search cannot be used as evidence against you.

MYTH

"If you're not read your Miranda rights, the case is thrown out."

REALITY: Miranda only applies to custodial interrogation. Voluntary statements are still admissible. It doesn't automatically dismiss the case.

📚 Explore All 14 Legal Myths
👥 Built For Everyone

If You Drive in America,
You Need This App

Real situations CopDefender was built to handle. No fluff — just the moments where seconds matter.

🚗

The Daily Commuter

Pulled over for a busted taillight at night. The officer asks to "take a quick look" in your car. CopDefender's scripts give you the exact words to refuse politely — and the recorder is already rolling.

🛻

The Cross-Country Driver

You drive through 6 states a week. Each one has different recording laws, stop-and-ID rules, and concealed carry rights. CopDefender auto-detects your state and updates everything in real time.

👨‍👩‍👧

The Parent of a Teen Driver

Your kid is on the road for the first time. Install CopDefender, set yourself as their emergency contact, and you'll get a GPS-tagged SMS the moment they hit record.

📱

The Citizen Journalist

Recording a public protest or police interaction. Your phone gets grabbed — but the cloud backup means every 3-second segment is already safe on encrypted servers they can't reach.

🎓

The College Student

Driving home for break, hours from your support network. With one tap your parents get your live location and a Google Maps link — they know where you are, every second.

⚖️

The Civil Rights Defender

You know your rights cold — but in the heat of a stop, even lawyers freeze. CopDefender's scripts and SHA-256 hashed evidence chain hold up in court. Built for activists, by activists.

🤝 Built on Trusted Foundations

Powered By Real Law,
Not Marketing Spin

Every right, every script, every state law in CopDefender is sourced from these recognized civil liberties authorities — and we link to them directly so you can verify everything yourself.

ACLU
Know Your Rights
EFF
Digital Rights
Flex Your Rights
Encounter Training
Cornell Law
Statute Reference
Oyez Project
Supreme Court Cases
TransparencyNow
Our Parent Org

CopDefender is the consumer-facing app of TransparencyNow.org — a national platform tracking police departments, litigation, and incidents across all 50 states.

⚡ Why CopDefender

CopDefender vs. Going Unprepared

A 30-second comparison of what happens when you have CopDefender — and what happens when you don't.

❌ Without CopDefender
✅ With CopDefender
Recording starts
Fumbling for camera, possibly missing the start
One-tap deep link, instant recording with timer
If your phone is taken
Evidence gone. Officer can delete or "lose" it.
Already encrypted in the cloud, segment by segment
Knowing your rights
Trying to remember what you read 5 years ago
State-specific scripts on screen, exact words to say
"I smell marijuana"
Panic. Maybe consent to a search you didn't have to.
Pre-loaded refusal script + recorded for your attorney
Crossing state lines
No idea if recording is legal here
GPS auto-updates to current state's laws
Family/friends know
No one knows you've been pulled over
Auto-SMS with GPS link to your emergency contacts
Finding an attorney after
Hours of Googling, hoping someone takes your call
In-app directory of civil rights attorneys, by state
Cost
Bail, lawyer fees, court costs, lost wages
$0 — Free Forever
❓ FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CopDefender really free?

+

Yes, CopDefender is completely free to download and use on both iOS and Android. Our mission is to ensure everyone has access to their constitutional rights regardless of income. Premium features may be offered in the future, but core functionality will always remain free.

Is it legal to record police encounters?

+

Yes. Federal courts have consistently upheld the First Amendment right to record police performing their duties in public spaces. However, 11 states have two-party consent laws for audio recording. CopDefender automatically warns you if you're in a two-party consent state and adjusts its guidance accordingly.

How does the real-time cloud backup work?

+

When you start recording, CopDefender splits your video into 3-second segments. Each segment is SHA-256 hashed for integrity verification and immediately uploaded to an encrypted Supabase server. If an upload fails, it's automatically retried with exponential backoff. Even if your phone is confiscated, turned off, or destroyed, your evidence is already safely stored in the cloud.

How does geo-aware rights detection work?

+

CopDefender uses your device's GPS to determine your state, then cross-references a comprehensive database of all 50 US states' laws. This includes recording consent rules, stop-and-identify statutes, concealed carry laws, stand-your-ground provisions, and passenger rights. All information updates in real-time as you cross state lines.

Can police legally confiscate my phone for recording?

+

No. The Supreme Court ruled in Riley v. California (2014) that police need a warrant to search your phone. Recording police is a protected activity and does not create probable cause for seizure. Even if an officer unlawfully takes your phone, CopDefender's cloud backup ensures your evidence is already safely stored on encrypted servers they cannot access.

Does CopDefender work without internet?

+

Core features like recording, rights reference, emergency guide, and scenario guides work offline. Your rights data and legal information are stored locally. Cloud backup requires an internet connection, but if you temporarily lose connectivity, the upload queue stores segments and retries when connection is restored.

Protect Yourself Before the Next Stop

20 million traffic stops happen every year in the United States. Don't be caught unprepared. Download CopDefender now and have your constitutional shield ready when you need it most.

⬇ Get the App — iOS ⬇ Get the App — Android
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Free forever · No ads · No account required · Encrypted evidence backup

Related Resources

Explore our comprehensive civil rights tools and legal education resources. External references: ACLU Know Your Rights · Flex Your Rights · EFF Digital Rights

Know Your Rights

Constitutional protections during police encounters — Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights explained.

Encounter Guides

Step-by-step guides for traffic stops, pedestrian stops, DUI checkpoints, and home encounters.

Recording Laws by State

One-party vs two-party consent laws for all 50 states. Know before you record.

Landmark Court Cases

Supreme Court decisions that define your rights — from Terry v. Ohio to Rodriguez v. United States.

Rights Simulator

Interactive scenario training to practice exercising your rights before an encounter happens.

Legal Glossary

Plain-English definitions of legal terms you need to understand during police encounters.
CopDefender Free · iOS & Android
Get App