>>reporter: corey watkins' police scanner crackles to life. moments later, he rushes to the scene of a traffic stop. >> i see lights. >>reporter: and there's another cop that just pulled in. >>reporter: with his ak 47 assault rifle slung over his shoulder, he begins his night's work, video camera in hand. somebody. >>reporter: along side watkins are fellow members of his cop watch group. >> i just called this in. >>reporter: watkins may seem like an unlikely ally of police watchers around the country >> don't you like how they stand like that. >>reporter: but for more than a year they have take on the the streets. >> more now than every we need police accountability. we need people out there recording. it's not just our area. it's all over the country. >>reporter: but police say they can sometimes go too far. >> what's your badge number? >>reporter: we were shown this video of an officer's interaction with watkins and members of the group. why cop watch with that weapon? >> why not? you know, it's my right to do so and i want to exert my freed