— The app, Solomon’s Shield, developed by an African American attorney, also enables users to instantly send a quick text to up to 5 friends and relatives with their GPS location, and let’s them know that they are involved in an encounter with law enforcement. —
Solomon’s Shield, a new app for managing emergency and non-emergency law enforcement encounters has quickly reached over 30,000 downloads. The app, which is essentially in its beta release, has gained traction globally with no marketing. Solomon’s Shield exists to help prevent escalations before, during, and after police and law enforcement interactions. The app is free and encourages people who are likely targeted by police officers to know the full extent of their rights and how to navigate these situations.
Over the past couple of years there has been a national conversation on the potential of technology to improve law enforcement and community relations at tense and critical moments. The technology has been focused on advanced data analytics and defusing otherwise tense situations between citizens and law enforcement.
Solomon’s Shield is citizen centric and focuses first on educating the citizen during a tense time and if things escalate provide evidence from their perspective. The app was released in the Apple store in July of 2017 and Google play store in September of 2017 for limited user testing. It has since gained momentum and has been featured in articles, blogs and podcasts. It has been downloaded in a number of other countries and has been used for citizen to citizen tense situations; “I’m walking down the street, managed to livestream someone catcalling and harassing me! So, thanks.” – Cittykat1928 (Apple Store).
The vision for the app is to help make sure citizens understand their rights in certain situations and that police officers, who may not have body cameras recording are accountable to following procedures. Solomon’s Shield is the brainchild of an African American Attorney and his partner. They understand the facts. Attorney James Jarman III says, “The stakes are too high in our communities. We must do what we can to protect both the lives of citizens and law enforcement officials. Ultimately, reducing the probability of deadly police encounters.”
Solomon’s Shield takes a step towards a more informed, safer population. The ultimate goal is ensuring both law enforcement and citizens remain as safe as possible. In situations where encounters escalate it provides another perspective.
The app is available to download free at the following links:
Apple iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/solomons-shield/id1185686624
GooglePlay – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.findigital.solomonsshield
