The Tool
How It Works
A camera app that doubles as a real-time audio analysis tool. Whether you're filming or not, it listens to what the officer says, classifies the question against your state's laws, and delivers instant guidance.
Step 01
It Listens
The app runs in the background — camera on or off. On-device speech recognition captures what the officer says in real time. No audio ever leaves your phone. The processing happens locally, between the microphone and your ear.
Step 02
It Classifies
The question is matched against your state's legal requirements. Stop-and-identify statute. Terry stop rules. What's legally compelled versus what's a request. The classification model is fast, accurate, and runs offline — it doesn't need a network connection to tell you what you're obligated to answer.
Step 03
It Guides
Guidance arrives through your earpiece, your earbuds, or haptic signal — silent to everyone else. Don't answer. This one is required. You can decline that. Response time is under two seconds. You have time to think. The pause looks like thinking, because it is.
Step 04
You Decide
The Coach tells you what your obligation is. What you say is still your decision. The goal is informed decision-making in real time, not scripted responses. You know the law. You choose how to respond. That's the right architecture for this problem.
Architecture
Everything Stays on Your Device
Audio processing happens locally. Officer speech, your speech, your location — none of it reaches a server. No cloud log, no API call, no record outside your phone. For the audience this serves, that's not a feature. It's the only acceptable architecture.
No Server Contact
The classification model runs entirely on your device. No audio is transmitted. No API call is made. No cloud service touches your conversation.
No Log, No Record
Nothing is stored outside your phone. No transcript, no usage log, no record that the app was even running. The interaction is yours. It stays yours.
Works Offline
The classification model doesn't need a network connection to function. Law updates download silently when you're on wifi. In the moment, no signal required.
Jurisdiction
Calibrated to Your State's Laws
Stop-and-identify requirements, Terry stop rules, what's legally compelled versus what's a request — these vary by state. The Coach is loaded with the rules that apply where you are.
Stop-and-Identify Laws
In some states, you're legally required to identify yourself during a lawful Terry stop. In others, you're not. Most people don't know which state they're in for this purpose. The Coach does — and tells you instantly when it matters.
Terry Stop Rules
Terry v. Ohio (1968) authorizes brief investigative stops on reasonable suspicion — not probable cause. The Coach knows the distinction and flags when an officer's questions go beyond what a lawful Terry stop permits.
Requests vs. Requirements
Officers ask questions in ways that imply legal obligation when none exists. "Can I search your vehicle?" is not a command. "Where are you coming from?" is not legally required to answer. The Coach classifies the legal status of each question in real time.
Silent Law Updates
State laws change. Court decisions change how statutes are applied. The Coach's classification database updates silently when you're on wifi — so the law it applies is the law that is actually in effect in your jurisdiction.
How the Model Works
This is a classification problem, not a generation problem. The question taxonomy an officer can ask during an encounter is finite and knowable. The model that runs it doesn't need to be a frontier large language model — it needs to be fast, accurate, and offline. That constraint is a design choice. A model that can run locally on a phone without a network connection is faster, more private, and more reliable in the field than one that phones home.
Delivery
Works With the Hardware You Already Have
Guidance is silent to everyone else in the interaction. You choose how it reaches you.
Option A
Discrete Earpiece
The same earpiece available with Stand — fits in the ear canal, designed to look like a hearing aid at conversational distance. Indistinguishable from a medical device. The highest-discretion option for encounters where visibility matters.
Option B
Your Existing Earbuds
Wireless earbuds you're already wearing. The guidance plays through the same audio channel you use for music or calls. To the officer, you're wearing headphones. Voice guidance is indistinguishable from audio playback.
Option C
Haptic Signal
No audio at all. One buzz: don't answer. Two buzzes: this one's required. Three buzzes: you can decline. Completely silent guidance through your phone or a paired smartwatch. Nothing audible to anyone in the encounter.
Use Cases
Who the Coach Is For
First Amendment auditors already filming
You know the law going in. But under pressure, in real time, officers ask questions in ways designed to get answers that become problems later. The Coach classifies the questions in the moment so you can respond from a known position rather than from memory under stress. See also: Be My Own Attorney for First Amendment auditors →
Drivers pulled over
Traffic stops are the most common law enforcement encounter most people will have. They're also where most consent-based searches happen — not because people wanted to consent, but because they didn't know they could decline. The Coach tells you, in the moment, which questions require an answer and which don't.
Anyone stopped at a checkpoint
DUI checkpoints, border checkpoints, agricultural inspection stations — each has a specific legal framework for what officers can ask and what you're required to answer. The Coach knows the rules by encounter type and jurisdiction.
Anyone who lives somewhere encounters happen
You don't have to be in legal trouble to need to know your rights in real time. You don't have to be doing anything wrong. You need to know the difference between what's being asked and what's required — before you answer.
The Full Stack
Coach → Brief → Stand
Police Interaction Coach is the first layer. Most encounters don't result in charges. For those that do, the next tools are ready.
Important Limitations
What the Coach Is Not
Police Interaction Coach is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship. It classifies officer questions against publicly available state statutes — it does not account for unusual fact patterns, real-time legal changes, or the specific circumstances of any individual encounter. Use your judgment. All classification outputs should be treated as informational. Read our full disclaimer →
Questions About Coach
Frequently Asked Questions
Early Access
Be Ready When We Launch
We launch in Texas first — JP courts and municipal courts in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. Join the waitlist for launch pricing, first access, and the chance to tell us which court to prioritize.
Not legal advice. Not an attorney-client relationship. This is a research and preparation tool for people exercising their constitutional rights.