Airstops are contact-free traffic stops. They can be initiated by police officers or by civilians.
PI Airstops work just like the Pre-check line at the Airport. By registering with Airstop in advance, the process for getting a ticket is 10-20x faster on average - and most importantly, they are safer and more consistent. If an Airstop member is stopped by police, the officer will not approach your vehicle unless they are unable to reach you by phone or you have committed a violation that still requires a face-to-face stop (e.g. driving in a manner that indicates intoxication).
Once you’ve been stopped, monitor your phone for a call or a text message. If you receive a phone call, follow the instructions provided. If you receive a text message, click the link provided to speak with the officer over video. If either the call is interrupted and the stop cannot be completed, the officer will approach your car and conduct a normal traffic stop. Don't leave the stop until you've been instructed to do so by text message or verbally by the police officer.
If an officer is unable to make contact through the phone number provided, he or she will approach the car and conduct a standard traffic stop. Our system will log the attempted, but unanswered call as proof that the attempt was made.
If you are stopped, monitor your phone for a text message or a phone call. If you receive a text message, you will be directed to a one-time use link that will open a video chat in your phone’s browser. If you receive a phone call, follow the instruction prompts on how to proceed with the stop.
No. Your state and/or local police force will have the ability to customize which violations require a face-to-face stop and which do not. For example, signs of drunk driving may still require a face-to-face stop. Approachable vs non-approachable offenses can be reviewed at any time from your Airstop portal.
If you are stopped for an approachable offense, you will receive a text message informing you that you have been stopped for an approachable offense and of the instructions to be followed (eg. put your hands on the wheel, step out of the vehicle, etc.).
Civilian members of our community can also initiate Airstops that work in the same way as a Speedcam (i.e. you can issue a legitimate citation just like a police officer for many types of offenses). If you see a violation happening, just snap a video and submit it for police review. For example, if someone is tailgating you, snap a video with your dash cam and submit the video via your Airstop app or online portal. If police agree that there is clear and convincing evidence from the video of an infraction, a ticket will be sent to the address affiliated with the license plate.
A dashcam or a smartphone. To capture the widest set of violations, we recommend a dashcam that captures speed and location at the time of the incident. To capture evidence with a Smartphone, ask the passenger in your vehicle to capture a video of the required elements from any camera app on their phone. For now, our Airstop app only supports the submission of evidence and not the capturing of evidence (coming soon).
The simplest answer is to take a video that makes it clear to any potential viewer without any specialized knowledge. The most important parts are to clearly capture the offense, the license plate, the time, and the location. Most modern dashcams will also report the time, location, and speed traveled at the time of the incident. If you don’t have a dashcam, ask a passenger to capture the evidence – remember not to commit a violation in the act of capturing another one!
CI Airstops are similar to Speedcams in that a ticket can be issued without the presence of a police officer. But we think CI Airstops are a far superior alternative to Speedcams, and at the least, an obvious complement. Speedcams are not only very expensive and require regular maintenance, they only cover a tiny area and a small number of violations. They also can’t deter someone from tailgating you, texting while driving, cutting you off, etc. CI Airstops leverage modern technology to accurately report what your eyes see and stop someone from infringing on your basic rights.
Depending on your city’s policies, yes, you may be eligible for compensation based upon funds collected. We will keep you informed on how much you’re eligible to earn and when the ticket has been paid. We encourage all cities to provide these incentives as they are in everyone’s best interest. We typically recommend that 20% of the fee collected be paid to you.
Tickets can be issued to anyone if we support your area. However, you need to be an Airstop member to issue a ticket to someone else. We enter into agreements with local law enforcement that treat our tickets with the same degree of enforceability as any other.
As with any ticket, the accused individual will have the right to plead their case before a judge.
If you intentionally submit false evidence, not only will you be banned from the Airstop community, you may be subject to civil and criminal penalties depending on your state.
While it’s too early to tell how much you can make, we see a possibility for civilian traffic enforcement to play a much larger role in the future. Our top priority, though, is to improve the safety of our roads.
If we observe atypical use of our platform or manipulation of our system, the user will be banned and have their outstanding earnings forfeited. They may also be subject to civil or criminal penalties depending on the nature of their behavior. While Airstop empowers civilians to deter bad actors from infringing on their rights, it is not a tool to "bait" people into committing a crime for financial gain.
Absolutely not. Police are the bedrock of a functioning society. But we do believe that we can help reallocate police resources towards activities where their training and resources may be more effectively utilized in our communities.
No. In fact, we think it’s what will prevent that from ever happening. Airstops only happen when you infringe on someone else’s rights and put someone else’s safety in jeopardy. Unlike stationary speedcams or CCTV, Airstops are not constantly recording 24/7. They are simply a tool for empowering civilians to communicate what they saw with their own eyes and hold others accountable for careless and dangerous behavior.