CopWatch groups have become a phenomenon in America, out of dire necessity. I interview the creators of the new Portland's Worst Cops Card Deck, and take a look at police accountability tactics and organizations in this article...as well as review how to start a CopWatch group/action yourself...

It is now a phenomenon. CopWatch organizations are being set up all over America, by ordinary citizens, driven to police the police, in grassroots community efforts. Portland (Portland Copwatch and Rose City Copwatch), Austin, NYC, Santa Cruz, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Berkeley, Tucson, Denver, and more, have CopWatch organizations in their cities. And CopWatch groups are networking and training each other. Berkeley CopWatch came down to Santa Cruz to help start Santa Cruz Copwatch.

Texas Copwatch describes Copwatch as "a group of ordinary people who observe and record police activity on the streets. We do this because we believe that police brutality is widespread in our communities and that the only way to stop it is to challenge it directly."

Berkeley’s CopWatch describes itself as a community based volunteer organization that “monitors police activity in the Southside neighborhood, and elsewhere, in an effort to defend the rights of all citizens, especially those who live on the street, who are people of color, or are otherwise disenfranchised. Everyone has a right to fair treatment under the law. Copwatch also carries out campaigns and distributes educational material geared at ending institutionalized injustice and police misconduct in our communities.�

Copwatch 101 booklet