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Siri, I'm being pulled over': iPhone app shortcut records your interaction with police
A new iPhone app called Shortcuts can be used to create a shortcut to record police when you get pulled over. (Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

Siri, I'm being pulled over': iPhone app shortcut records your interaction with police

If you have an iPhone, there's a new app called Shortcuts that can be used to create a shortcut to record police when you get pulled over.

Robert Petersen of Arizona developed the shortcut called Police, which can video your interactions with law enforcement officers using Siri or by pushing a button.

"It seemed to me that if you're getting pulled over it couldn't hurt to have a recording of the incident," Petersen told Business Insider. "The police these days in many places have bodycams, so this could be the civilian equivalent."

Petersen posted the script in the subreddit dedicated to sharing shortcut recipes in September. It has quickly become the third most popular of all time, according to Business Insider, but it's unclear how many times it has been downloaded.

How does it work?

First, install and configure Shortcuts on your iPhone.

Then you can turn it on using the command you created, such as: "Siri, I'm getting pulled over."

The app will pause your music, turn down your iPhone's brightness, and it places the phone into "do not disturb" mode.

A short text is sent to a predetermined contact to alert them that you were pulled over.

Finally, the front-facing camera begins recording the interaction.

After the recording is stopped, the video can be sent through text or email to a different predetermined contact and saved to Dropbox.

What else?

Petersen told Business Insider that he had no programming background when he stitched the shortcut together, adding that he had written scripts for macOS in the past.

And most of the shortcut's responses have been positive.

Many "say they've had issues in the past with the police, and one woman planned on using the shortcut to help with a stalker issue she was having with an ex-boyfriend so that she could send her location to family quickly should anything occur," Petersen said.

"That's one of the great things about Shortcuts: Anyone can edit a shortcut someone else has made to suit their specific needs."

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