Legal observers record police misconduct at rallies or demonstrations and document details such as the name of the arresting officer and witnesses. Training sessions and workshops are available to prepare volunteers for unexpected events. Risks are explained, and role-playing scenarios are used to prepare volunteers for different situations.
No special skills are needed to become a legal observer, but training sessions and workshops can prepare a person for unexpected events at a rally or election demonstration. A person who wants to operate video equipment as a legal observer might consider taking a short course to learn how to record successful videos. Some activist groups offer training for people who want to become a legal observer for the organization. One group is the Legal Activist Project in the UK, which uses volunteers who become legal observers at political protests.
A legal observer is not an activist, but an impartial witness who records police misconduct, documenting as much information as possible. This person will usually wear a T-shirt or other form of identification to alert police that they are not part of a demonstration. A legal observer watches what happens and records details of any clashes between protesters and police.
Spotters usually carry a clipboard, pens and a small tape recorder. If an activist is arrested or injured, legal observers write down the arrested person’s name, date and time, and what led up to the confrontation. The name of the arresting officer, the identification of any media present, and the names of witnesses represent other information observed by observers.
These notes are typically compiled into a narrative after the demo is complete. This preserves the details of the encounter in civil or criminal proceedings where the observer may be asked to testify. Organizations that train people to become legal observers generally recommend that narratives be stored in a safe place and a copy given to an activist support group.
Risks are usually explained to anyone who wants to become a legal observer. The volunteer has no special rights and can be arrested. He or she does not give legal advice, although some activist advocacy groups request that a legal observer distribute information cards to anyone arrested. These cards can include contact information for the attorney representing the organization and a support group phone number.
During training to become a legal observer, role-playing can prepare the volunteer for several scenarios. These drills focus on spotter safety and provide behavioral cues for the spotter to stand out from the protesters. Workshops can emphasize that a spotter does not handle crowd control or act as a spokesperson for the organization training him.
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