Community Resources &
Organizing Guides

Why Organize a KYR Workshop

• ● Studies show that people who attend KYR workshops are significantly more likely to assert their rights during police encounters.
• ● Communities with regular KYR programming report fewer unlawful search consent rates.
• ● Workshops create community bonds and establish networks of people who look out for each other.
• ● Youth-focused workshops help young people understand their rights before their first encounter.

Step-by-Step: How to Organize

• 1. Find a venue: Community centers, churches, libraries, schools, and union halls often provide free meeting space. Contact 3-5 venues and explain the educational purpose.
• 2. Recruit a facilitator: Ideally a civil rights attorney, law student, or ACLU volunteer. They should know state-specific laws for your jurisdiction.
• 3. Develop curriculum: Cover Fourth Amendment (search & seizure), Fifth Amendment (right to silence), recording rights, and what to do during traffic stops, home visits, and pedestrian stops.
• 4. Promote the event: Flyers at laundromats, barbershops, community boards. Social media posts. Partner with local organizations. Send to community email lists.
• 5. Prepare materials: Print pocket-sized rights cards. Prepare handouts with key phrases. Have QR codes linking to CopDefender for smartphone access.
• 6. Run the workshop: Plan for 60-90 minutes. Include role-playing exercises. Leave time for Q&A. Have attendees practice saying key phrases out loud.
• 7. Follow up: Collect contact info for future events. Share digital resources. Schedule the next workshop. Build a recurring program.

Workshop Curriculum Topics

• ● Module 1: The Fourth Amendment — what constitutes a legal search, consent vs. warrant, and how to refuse searches politely.
• ● Module 2: The Fifth Amendment — invoking silence, Miranda rights, and what happens if you talk to police.
• ● Module 3: Recording police — your First Amendment right, one-party vs. two-party consent, and how to preserve evidence.
• ● Module 4: Traffic stops — role-play exercise with exact phrases to use.
• ● Module 5: If you are arrested — what to do, what to say, and when to invoke your right to counsel.
• ● Module 6: Filing complaints — how to file with Internal Affairs, civilian oversight boards, and the DOJ.

Partner Organizations

• ● ACLU: Many local chapters provide free KYR training materials and volunteer speakers. Visit aclu.org/know-your-rights
• ● National Lawyers Guild: Provides Know Your Rights legal observers and training materials for communities and protests.
• ● Flex Your Rights: Offers free educational videos and curriculum at flexyourrights.org

What Is CopWatch?

• ● CopWatch is a network of community-based organizations that monitor police activity and record encounters between police and civilians.
• ● Founded in Berkeley, CA in 1990, CopWatch has since inspired programs across the country and internationally.
• ● CopWatch patrols are legal. Recording police performing duties in public is protected by the First Amendment, as affirmed by multiple federal circuit courts.
• ● Research shows that the presence of civilian observers significantly reduces the use of excessive force during police encounters.

How to Start a CopWatch Program

• 1. Build a core team: Start with 5-10 committed volunteers. Meet weekly to plan and train.
• 2. Know the law: Research your state's recording laws (one-party vs. two-party consent). Understand your rights as an observer. Use CopDefender's Recording Laws page for state-specific info.
• 3. Train observers: Teach de-escalation, legal rights, safe distances to maintain (generally 10-15 feet), and how to interact with both police and subjects.
• 4. Equip your team: Smartphones with video recording apps (CopDefender has built-in cloud backup), ID cards, know-your-rights cards to distribute, and visible identification (vests, badges).
• 5. Establish patrol routes: Identify high-encounter areas in your community. Schedule regular patrols, especially on weekend nights and during community events.
• 6. Document everything: Record date, time, location, officer badge numbers, and descriptions of interactions. Store footage securely with cloud backup.
• 7. Partner with legal support: Connect with a civil rights attorney or legal aid organization who can advise on footage use and complaint filing.

Safety Guidelines

• ✗ Never physically interfere with an arrest or police action, even if it appears unlawful.
• ✗ Always patrol in pairs or groups. Never CopWatch alone.
• ✗ Maintain a safe distance. Do not enter the immediate area of an encounter.
• ✗ If an officer tells you to move back, comply with a reasonable request but continue recording from the new distance.
• ✗ If threatened with arrest, clearly state: "I am exercising my First Amendment right to record in a public place." Comply if physically detained.

Existing CopWatch Networks

• ● Berkeley CopWatch — The original CopWatch organization, founded 1990. berkeleycopwatch.org
• ● WeCopWatch — National organization that trains communities in observation and recording. wecopwatch.org
• ● Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) — Minneapolis-based organization with CopWatch training programs.
• ● Portland CopWatch — Over 25 years of civilian police monitoring in Oregon.

What Legal Observers Do

• ● Monitor and document police behavior at protests, marches, and demonstrations.
• ● Record badge numbers, use of force incidents, arrest procedures, and any civil rights violations.
• ● Provide a neutral, documented account that can be used in court, complaints, or media reports.
• ● Distribute know-your-rights information to demonstrators before and during events.
• ● Report back to legal teams who coordinate jail support and bail for arrested protestors.

How to Become a Legal Observer

• 1. Contact your local NLG chapter: The National Lawyers Guild is the primary organization training legal observers. Find your chapter at nlg.org/chapters
• 2. Attend a training: Most chapters offer 2-4 hour trainings covering documentation techniques, legal rights at protests, de-escalation, and arrest support protocols.
• 3. Practice documentation: Learn to take detailed, objective notes. Record times, locations, officer descriptions, badge numbers, and descriptions of force used.
• 4. Get gear: Legal observers typically wear bright green NLG hats or vests for visibility. Carry notebooks, pens, a charged phone, portable charger, and a legal hotline number written on your arm.
• 5. Maintain neutrality: Legal observers document — they do not participate in the protest itself. This neutrality strengthens the credibility of their documentation.

Key Legal Protections for Observers

• First Amendment: Observing and recording police in public is constitutionally protected activity.
• Glik v. Cunniffe (1st Cir. 2011): Affirmed the right to film police performing duties in public.
• ACLU v. Alvarez (7th Cir. 2012): Struck down Illinois eavesdropping statute as applied to recording on-duty police.
• Turner v. Driver (5th Cir. 2017): Affirmed the right to record police, even without an ongoing encounter.

Types of Civilian Oversight

• ● Review Boards: Review completed internal affairs investigations and recommend discipline. The most common but least powerful model.
• ● Investigative Bodies: Conduct their own independent investigations of complaints, separate from Internal Affairs. More powerful and independent.
• ● Auditors/Inspectors General: Conduct systemic reviews of police policies and practices, not just individual complaints. Can identify patterns.
• ● Hybrid Models: Combine elements of review, investigation, and auditing. Cities like Chicago and Los Angeles use hybrid approaches.

What Makes an Effective Board

• ● Subpoena power: Can compel officers and departments to produce documents and testimony.
• ● Independent investigation: Has its own investigators, not reliant on Internal Affairs.
• ● Binding recommendations: Disciplinary recommendations are binding or carry strong weight, not merely advisory.
• ● Community representation: Board members are community-appointed, not mayoral or police-chief appointees.
• ● Adequate funding: Sufficient budget for staff, investigations, and outreach.
• ● Transparency: Public hearings, published reports, and accessible complaint processes.

How to Advocate for a Review Board

• 1. Research existing oversight in your city. Many cities have weak or inactive boards that need strengthening.
• 2. Build a coalition of community organizations, religious leaders, civil rights groups, and concerned residents.
• 3. Draft model legislation. Use NACOLE (National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement) resources.
• 4. Attend city council meetings and public comment sessions. Bring data on police complaints and outcomes.
• 5. Consider a ballot initiative if council is unresponsive. Several cities have created oversight boards through direct voter action.

What Is a First Amendment Audit?

• ● A First Amendment audit involves recording video in public spaces (sidewalks, government buildings, public parks) to test whether officials respect the right to record.
• ● The practice gained prominence through YouTube channels documenting interactions with police and security when recording in public.
• ● Courts have consistently held that recording in public is protected First Amendment activity. The purpose is to verify that public servants understand and respect this right.
• ● Audits have led to policy changes, officer retraining, and increased awareness of recording rights in many jurisdictions.

Best Practices for Auditing

• 1. Know your state's laws: Understand recording consent laws, trespassing statutes, and any local ordinances. Use CopDefender's Recording Laws page.
• 2. Stay in public areas: Record from sidewalks, public roads, and publicly accessible areas of government buildings. Do not enter restricted areas.
• 3. Be respectful: The goal is to document whether rights are respected, not to provoke confrontation. Remain calm, polite, and professional.
• 4. Know your phrases: If confronted, calmly state: "I am exercising my First Amendment right to record in a public place. I am not interfering with anyone."
• 5. Carry ID but know you may not need it: In most states, you are not required to identify yourself unless you are reasonably suspected of a crime.
• 6. Upload in real-time: Use CopDefender or another app that streams video to the cloud. If your phone is seized, the evidence is preserved.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ✗ Do not enter non-public areas of government buildings (employee-only sections, behind counters).
• ✗ Do not record inside courtrooms during proceedings without permission from the judge.
• ✗ Do not argue or escalate if asked to leave private property. Comply and continue recording from public spaces.
• ✗ Do not record near military installations, certain federal facilities, or areas with posted restrictions that have legal authority.
• ✗ Do not provide false identification or lie about your purpose if directly asked by law enforcement.

Why Bail Funds Matter

• ● On any given day, approximately 470,000 people are in U.S. jails awaiting trial — many solely because they cannot afford bail.
• ● The median bail amount for a felony is $10,000. Many families cannot afford even a $500 bond.
• ● People held pretrial are more likely to plead guilty, lose jobs, lose housing, and lose custody of children.
• ● The cash bail system disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities and people experiencing poverty.
• ● Bail funds are revolving: when cases are resolved, bail money is returned and used to free the next person.

Major Community Bail Funds

• ● The Bail Project: National nonprofit that pays bail for people in need across 20+ cities. Has bailed out 17,000+ people. bailproject.org
• ● National Bail Fund Network: Coalition of 90+ community bail funds across the U.S. Find a local fund at communityjusticeexchange.org
• ● Brooklyn Bail Fund (now Brooklyn Community Bail Fund): Pioneered the community bail fund model. Has paid bail for thousands in New York City.
• ● Chicago Community Bond Fund: Pays bond for people charged with both misdemeanors and felonies in Cook County, IL.
• ● Minnesota Freedom Fund: Gained national attention in 2020. Pays bail and immigration bonds in Minnesota.
• ● Massachusetts Bail Fund: Pays up to $2,000 bail for people unable to afford it in Massachusetts courts.

How to Start a Bail Fund

• 1. Contact the Community Justice Exchange for startup resources and mentorship from existing funds.
• 2. Establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or partner with a fiscal sponsor.
• 3. Build relationships with public defenders and jail staff to identify people who need bail assistance.
• 4. Create policies for eligibility, payment procedures, and court date tracking.
• 5. Fundraise through events, online campaigns, and partnerships with local organizations.

Civil Rights & Legal Organizations

• ● American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Litigates civil rights cases, lobbies for police reform legislation, and provides Know Your Rights resources. Over 1.7 million members. aclu.org
• ● NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF): The nation's first civil rights law organization. Litigates police misconduct cases and advocates for systemic reform. naacpldf.org
• ● National Lawyers Guild (NLG): Progressive legal organization providing legal observers at protests, know-your-rights trainings, and direct legal support. nlg.org
• ● Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC): Monitors hate groups and litigates civil rights cases, including police misconduct in the Deep South. splcenter.org
• ● Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: Provides pro bono legal assistance for civil rights violations and police misconduct. lawyerscommittee.org

Policy & Research Organizations

• ● Campaign Zero: Data-driven platform advocating for police reform policies. Created the #8CantWait and #8toAbolition frameworks. campaignzero.org
• ● Center for Policing Equity (CPE): Uses data science to measure racial disparities in policing and helps departments reduce bias. policingequity.org
• ● Vera Institute of Justice: Research and policy organization working to end mass incarceration and transform the justice system. vera.org
• ● The Sentencing Project: Researches and advocates for sentencing reform and alternatives to incarceration. sentencingproject.org
• ● NACOLE (National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement): Supports civilian oversight agencies with training, resources, and best practices. nacole.org

Community & Grassroots Organizations

• ● Color of Change: Largest online racial justice organization. Runs campaigns for police accountability and corporate responsibility. colorofchange.org
• ● Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB): Provides direct support to victims of police violence and organizes community responses. cuapb.org
• ● National Urban League: Advocates for economic and social justice for African Americans, including police reform. nul.org
• ● Flex Your Rights: Educational organization teaching people how to exercise their constitutional rights during police encounters. flexyourrights.org
• ● Justice for Families: Works with families impacted by incarceration and police violence to advocate for systemic change.
• ● Project NIA: Community-based organization focused on ending youth incarceration and promoting restorative justice alternatives.

Why City Council Matters for Policing

• ● City councils approve police department budgets, which often represent 30-50% of a city's general fund.
• ● Councils can pass ordinances requiring body cameras, banning chokeholds, mandating de-escalation training, and creating oversight boards.
• ● Many police reforms — from community policing programs to use-of-force policies — happen at the local level through council action.
• ● Council members are elected officials accountable to you. Public pressure at meetings has led to significant policy changes in cities nationwide.

Step-by-Step Guide

• 1. Find your city council website: Search "[your city] city council meetings" to find schedules, agendas, and rules for public comment.
• 2. Review the agenda: Agendas are published before meetings. Look for police-related items: budget votes, policy changes, oversight appointments.
• 3. Sign up for public comment: Most councils allow 2-3 minutes of public comment. Some require pre-registration; others allow walk-ins.
• 4. Prepare your statement: Focus on one specific ask. Use data. Share a personal story if relevant. Practice to stay within the time limit.
• 5. Bring allies: Coordinate with others. Having 10-20 people speak on the same topic sends a powerful message.
• 6. Follow up: Email council members after. Thank those who supported your position. Hold others accountable publicly.

Tips for Effective Public Comment

• ● Be specific: "I urge the council to require body cameras for all officers" is better than "we need police reform."
• ● Cite data: "Our city paid $4.2 million in police misconduct settlements last year" is compelling.
• ● Tell stories: Personal accounts of police encounters resonate with council members and media.
• ● Stay calm and professional: Passionate is good. Angry is less effective. Focus on solutions, not just problems.
• ● Record everything: Bring your phone. Record the meeting. Many councils also live-stream for public viewing.

What You Can Request

• ● Body camera footage: Request footage from specific incidents using date, time, and location.
• ● Use-of-force reports: Detailed reports on every instance where officers used force.
• ● Complaint records: Civilian complaints against officers, investigation outcomes, and disciplinary actions.
• ● Department policies: Use-of-force policies, pursuit policies, search policies, and standard operating procedures.
• ● Training records: What officers are trained on, training hours, and curriculum.
• ● Arrest data: Arrest statistics broken down by race, location, offense, and officer.
• ● Settlement and lawsuit data: How much the city/county has paid in police misconduct lawsuits and settlements.

How to File a FOIA / Public Records Request

• 1. Identify the agency: Federal agencies fall under FOIA. State and local agencies fall under your state's public records law (every state has one).
• 2. Find the FOIA officer: Every agency has a designated records custodian or FOIA officer. Check the agency's website.
• 3. Write your request: Be specific about the records you want. Include dates, names, case numbers, and descriptions. The more specific your request, the faster the response.
• 4. Submit in writing: Most agencies accept requests by email, online portal, or mail. Keep a copy of everything you submit.
• 5. Expect a response: Federal FOIA requires a response within 20 business days. State deadlines vary (some as short as 3 days, others up to 30).
• 6. Appeal denials: If your request is denied, you have the right to appeal. Agencies must cite specific exemptions for denial.

Sample FOIA Request Template

FOIA Resources

• ● MuckRock: Free platform that helps you file, track, and share FOIA requests. Thousands of successful requests on file. muckrock.com
• ● FOIA.gov: Federal government's FOIA portal for all federal agency requests. foia.gov
• ● Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Provides free legal resources and a state-by-state guide to open records laws. rcfp.org
• ● National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC): Provides state-by-state information on open records laws and contacts. nfoic.org

Why Coalitions Win

• ● Single organizations rarely have enough power to change policing policy alone. Coalitions multiply political pressure.
• ● Diverse coalitions (faith groups, unions, civil rights orgs, neighborhood associations) demonstrate broad community support.
• ● Coalitions share resources, expertise, and networks. A legal org provides legal knowledge; a faith group provides meeting space; a union provides political connections.
• ● Many successful police reform campaigns — from the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force to the Seattle consent decree — were driven by broad coalitions.

How to Build a Coalition

• 1. Define your goal: Start with a specific, achievable policy ask. "Create a civilian oversight board with subpoena power" is better than "fix policing."
• 2. Map potential allies: List every organization in your area that has overlapping interests: churches, mosques, temples, unions, civil rights groups, legal aid societies, community centers, parent groups, student organizations.
• 3. Start with one-on-one meetings: Meet individually with leaders of potential partner organizations. Listen to their concerns. Find common ground.
• 4. Establish shared principles: Draft a coalition statement that all members can endorse. Keep it focused and inclusive.
• 5. Create a structure: Regular meetings, clear roles, shared decision-making. A steering committee with rotating chair prevents burnout.
• 6. Plan escalating actions: Start with petitions and letters, then public testimony, then rallies, then direct pressure on decision-makers.
• 7. Celebrate wins: Acknowledge every victory, no matter how small. Sustaining momentum requires celebrating progress.

Common Coalition Challenges

• ● Mission creep: Stay focused on your core policy goal. Side issues can fracture coalitions.
• ● Power dynamics: Ensure impacted communities lead the coalition, not just professional advocacy organizations.
• ● Burnout: Distribute work equitably. Create sustainable meeting schedules. Respect people's time and energy.
• ● Co-optation: Be wary of politicians who join coalitions to appear supportive but undermine efforts behind the scenes.
• ● Internal conflict: Establish a process for resolving disagreements. Principled unity, not uniformity, is the goal.

Successful Coalition Examples

• ● Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression: Led the campaign for the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) ordinance in Chicago.
• ● Communities United for Police Reform (NYC): Coalition of 200+ organizations that won the Community Safety Act and End Discriminatory Profiling Act in New York City.
• ● Texas Organizing Project: Won police reform measures in Houston and San Antonio through grassroots community organizing.
• ● M4BL (Movement for Black Lives): National coalition of over 50 organizations that developed the Vision for Black Lives policy platform.