The 1A Auditor Summit is a citizen-side training event for citizen auditors, First Amendment auditing practitioners, public records users, and everyday people. Learn the right to record, public building audits, police encounters, public records requests, Fourth Amendment rights, and how to produce government accountability content responsibly.
Learn the law, record with discipline, request the records, preserve the evidence, publish with context, and build accountability where you live.
The Summit is the citizen side of the encounter — the person holding the camera, asking the records question, attending the public meeting, walking into city hall, standing on the sidewalk. We turn spectators into informed observers, creators into more responsible publishers, and frustrated citizens into organized advocates.
Read our mission & values →Constitutional rights are only meaningful when ordinary people understand them well enough to exercise them lawfully, calmly, and effectively.
The right to record in public, ask questions, observe government activity, and remain secure from unreasonable searches isn't theory. It's the foundation of public accountability — and the curriculum every Summit attendee leaves with.
Rights you can name.
Rights you can record.
Rights you can defend.
Public accountability often comes down to a few seconds of footage that nobody could shut off. The Summit teaches people to document interactions peacefully, preserve raw evidence, and keep transparency intact — even under pressure, even when the person holding the phone gets pushed.
Read our missionNot a collection of unrelated sessions. A complete accountability practice — from constitutional foundations through publishing the recap — taught by people who've done the work.
First Amendment auditing, Fourth Amendment rights, search and seizure, public forum basics, detentions, failure to ID, trespass warnings, obstruction claims, device seizure, and court-specific limits.
Right-to-record practice, public building audits, camera setup, audio, livestreaming, distance, angles, sidewalks, plazas, public meetings, and traditional public forums.
Public records requests under FOIA and state law, bodycam requests, dashcam, CAD logs, incident reports, complaints, retention, chain of custody, and records appeals.
Publishing responsibly, editing, storytelling, captions, titles, thumbnails, short-form clips, livestream highlights, analytics, sponsor disclosures, and ethical monetization for government accountability content.
Small-group scenario work, peer critique, route planning, equipment checks, debriefs, and the optional Take It to the Streets learning lab.
Sessions, workshops, schedule, code of conduct, and the field practice block.
View ProgramWe center lawful observation, documentation, and civic follow-through. No trespass, obstruction, threats, harassment, or doxxing.
The strongest audit is often the calmest audit. Discipline, distance, and clarity protect the person recording and the evidence.
Accountability often begins after the encounter. Records turn raw footage into a fuller factual record.
Publish with context, preserve raw footage, avoid misleading edits, and separate facts from legal conclusions.
Two days in one room with experienced auditors, civil rights attorneys, public records practitioners, independent journalists, and everyday citizens who believe transparency keeps power accountable. You'll leave with a workflow you can run in your own city the following Monday.
The Summit lineup will feature experienced auditors, civil rights attorneys, public records experts, independent journalists, and platform-savvy creators. Speakers announced on a rolling basis.
Veteran transparency creator covering field technique, legal boundaries, and audience credibility.
Trial attorney on First Amendment, Fourth Amendment encounters, and §1983 litigation.
Records practitioner teaching FOIA, state laws, bodycam requests, and appeals.
Journalist on story structure, editing, distribution, and monetization with integrity.
Auditing is not about confrontation. It's about peacefully documenting public officials, knowing your rights, and staying calm when pressure rises. The Summit prepares you for the calm 99% of encounters — and for the rare moments when discipline is the only thing standing between you and a bad ending.
See the curriculum