Philadelphia Black Pride is in talks with the developers of The SWAT App, described as the Yelp of police services, to create some Philadelphia-specific initiatives.
D’Ontace Keyes, chief creative officer of Philadelphia Black Pride, said the organization is looking at contracting Brandon Anderson, founder of SWAT, in its next fiscal year, which begins in the fall.
Details are still being worked out about how much funding would be dedicated to the endeavor and what the end product would be.
Anderson discussed The SWAT App at an April 29 lunch event dedicated to anti-discrimination strategies as part of the 17th annual Philadelphia Black Pride celebration.
SWAT stands for “safety with accountability and transparency.” The app, still in its beta testing phase, has built a database of 306,000 police officers across the country. After people have an interaction with the police, they are encouraged to rate their experiences with comments.
“We collect that data and use it to push for new policies,” said Anderson, who noted the project aided in the successful effort to repeal a law allowing choke holds in Palo Alto, Calif.
Anderson said The SWAT App team frequently files Freedom of Information Act paperwork to keep its list current of police officers and their employment histories. The app will also feature an interactive mapping system so people can analyze police performance in their neighborhood.
An official release date for the app has not yet been set. Those interested in more information should visit www.theswatapp.co.
Anderson, who lives in Washington, D.C., also shared the experiences in his life that led him to create SWAT.
While in high school in Oklahoma City, Anderson brought a pellet gun to school and got expelled. His father kicked him out of the house and he ended up living in an abandoned building with his best friend, who became his first love.
After some time, Anderson went to the Job Corps, a government-funded education and training program, to get his General Educational Development certificate. He enlisted in the military and became a satellite engineer, but asked for leave to see his boyfriend, who was dying in a hospital. An Oklahoma City police officer had shot him.
“I disclosed my orientation,” Anderson said. “My commanding officer said to surrender my weapon and expect a dishonorable discharge.”
He fought the designation in court and walked away with an honorable discharge. But confronting an unsupportive system stuck with him.
“Institutions not only have the capability of being oppressive,” Anderson said. “They’re also pervasive and preclude us from developing meaningful relationships with the people and systems that should protect us.”