Free app · saves on this phone only · no login
Record
After the search only. The words to say on screen, then the silent walkthrough.
For you and the lawyer. Don’t mail it into a jail: mail inside is opened and read.
After the search only
Don’t film while agents are still there. Say “I want a lawyer. I don’t consent to any searches.” and nothing else. The walkthrough after they leave is the video that counts.
1 Fill in the opening
You will say this out loud at the start of the video, before you walk in. Fill it in now, outside the door. It shows on the screen while you record.
Say this out loudFill in the blanks first
“My name is your full name. Today is the date. The time is the exact time. I am at the full address. I am recording this at the first opportunity. To my knowledge, nobody has entered since the police left.”
Only say that last sentence if it is true. If it isn’t, say what is: “At [time] I went in and touched or moved [what],” like getting the dog.
2 Film it
Press record, read the opening out loud, then walk every room without saying a word. Keep this screen open until you press stop.
Have the agents left?
This is for after the search only. Phones are often taken in a search, and the video that counts is the one made after they leave.
The silent walkthrough
- Don’t talk. Don’t comment at all. The opening is the only thing you say.
- Turn on every light. Even if it’s sunny outside.
- Stand in each corner. Get the full view of the room from every corner, then move to the next room.
- Zoom in on damage. Anything that stands out, like broken walls or doors.
3 Save it and back it up
Keep the original file on this phone. Then back it up to your own cloud account, like Google Drive or iCloud. Don’t text it or send it on WhatsApp as your only copy: that strips out the video’s date and time data, and the original keeps it.
The app works out a fingerprint for every video: a 64-character code made from every bit of the file. Change one frame and the code changes. If a lawyer runs the same check later and gets the same code, it is the same file you made.
- Don’t talk
- Every light on
- Stand in each corner
- Zoom in on damage
Nothing you put in here leaves this phone unless you send it yourself.
Educational information from a paralegal, not legal advice. Talk to a lawyer about your own case.