STOP AND FRISK; BLOG # 155; OCT 31, 2014

STOP AND FRISK

THE MESSAGE:

This procedure has come under serious attack in city neighbourhoods. It is seen as a blatant example of 'Racial Profiling'.

An analysis by the New York  Civil Liberties Union provides the following data based on the available statistics between 2002 and the first half of 2014. These statistics are used to indicate that 'Stop and Frisk' is a biased and counterproductive practice.

The NYCLU analysis reveals that roughly,   

• half of the stops have involved subjects between the ages of 14 to 24.
• an average of 82% have been ruled completely innocent
• an average of 56% have been made on black subjects
• an average of 34% involved Latinos
• an average of 10% involved white subjects
• only 2% of frisks resulted in a weapon found

The widespread practice of stopping residents for what was deemed “suspicious” behaviour,  was the defining tactic of the New York Police Department for a decade. It was implemented and pursued in the face of intensifying protests and dwindling crime. It needed to be defended against civil-rights challenges, and was declared indispensable to the continued safety of the streets.

The stop-and-frisk tactic was employed exhaustively, but not evenly. The police said they targeted high-crime areas, and in much of New York, the practice was little known. But in poor and minority neighbourhoods, it became a part of everyday life. 

Central Brooklyn’s housing projects were a key focus of the strategy. In Precinct 77, police were making 75 to 100 stops a day in January 2012. The police have said that while a large percentage of the street stops involve black people, an even larger percentage of crimes involve suspects described as 'black' by their 'victims'.

The use of police stops has been widely acclaimed by city officials as a linchpin of New York’s success story in seeing murders and major crimes fall to historic lows. The NYPD claims the practice has saved the lives of thousands of young black and Hispanic men by removing thousands of guns from the streets.

HERE COME DA MAYOR

However, a federal judge ruled that the "Stop and Frisk" tactics of the New York Police Department violated the constitutional rights of minorities in the city, repudiating a major element in the Bloomberg administration’s crime-fighting legacy. The former mayor countered by saying the judge did “not understand how policing works” and had misinterpreted what the Constitution allowed.





Shira A. Scheindlin, found that the Police Department resorted to a “policy of indirect racial profiling” as it increased the number of stops in minority communities. That has led to officers’ routinely stopping “blacks and Hispanics who would not have been stopped if they were white.”




Even in the face of a significant decrease in violent crimes the NYCLU wins. As a result of the judicial dictate and political correctness there has been a recent decline in NYC 'Stop and Frisk'

First Half 2012 > 337,410 STOPS

Last Half 2013  > 33,699 STOPS

The proof will be in the pudding. It will be interesting to see what happens to the violent crime rate in NYC in the future.

Fighting Crime Where the Criminals Are

The New York Police Department released new data showing the vast majority of victims and perpetrators of violent crime in the city are black and Latino.

These data, which cover crime in 2012 through the end of June, show that 96 percent of all shooting victims and 97 percent of all shooting suspects in the city were black or Latino. The report also shows that more than 90 percent of New Yorkers stopped and frisked so far in 2012 were black and Latino.

Such stops happen more frequently in minority neighbourhoods because that is where the vast majority of violent crime occurs and  consequently where a police presence is most intense. Based on reports filed by victims, blacks committed 66 percent of all violent crime in New York in 2009, including 80 percent of shootings and 71 percent of robberies. Blacks and Hispanics together accounted for 98 percent of reported gun assaults. And the vast majority of the victims of violent crime were also members of minority groups.

The per capita rate of shootings in the 73rd Precinct, which covers Brooklyn’s largely black Ocean Hill and Brownsville neighbourhoods, is 81 times higher than in the 68th Precinct in largely white Bay Ridge. It should not come as a surprise then that the per capita stop rate in the 73rd Precinct is 15 times higher than that in the 68th. 

The attack on the Police Department’s stop-and-frisk data is based on the false premise that police activity should mirror census data, not crime. It would seem apparent that the civil libertarians approach would strip police protection from the New Yorkers who need it most.

TORONTO

Members of ‘ruthless’ rival gangs — Sick Thugz and Asian Assassinz — arrested in guns and drugs raids.

POLICE STATEMENT  "We have put a significant dent in the violence that has occurred within the city and think that we will see the results of that decrease because of these arrests."

In Toronto, the police have implemented a carding system.  Carding statistics show that people who are black or brown are more likely to be carded than whites. Essentially this means that a brown or black person is more likely to be seen as suspicious by the police than someone who is white.

In Toronto, the police have implemented a carding system which is similar to 'Stop and Frisk'. The proportion of contact cards for people with black skin is 27.4 per cent. That is 3.4 times the proportion of Toronto’s black population, which stands at 8.1 per cent, according to the latest census figures. However, once again the comparisons of carding to skin colour are not in accordance with census statistics. This does not mean that 'Racial Profiling' is a fact. Police go where the crime is. Toronto police say they are working hard to eliminate prejudice in the force, but that the race of those carded will always be disproportionate because of factors such as socioeconomic disparity.

DETROIT

Population: 713,239

Violent crime rate: 2,137 per 100,000 residents

The Motor City tops the list of America's Most Dangerous Cities for the fourth straight year thanks to a stubborn problem mostly with gang-related violence. Violent crimes -- murder, rape, robbery and assault -- fell 10% last year but are still running five times the national average.

The city of Detroit is seeing a new spike in violence. Manpower is down, but murders and shootings are on the rise. Now there are reports that say police are looking for a solution that is causing controversy in New York City, called 'Stop-and-Frisk.'

 Detroit PD Chief, Erik Ewing 

"Based on reasonable suspicion, the Detroit Police Department is already a stop-and-frisk policing agency. Detroit's population is mostly African American, so it stands to reason that a high number of African Americans will be stopped, based on reasonable suspicion. This is not racial profiling, just officers doing good constitutional police work."

ST LOUIS

Population: 320,454

Violent crime rate: 1,857 per 100,000 residents

Lying directly in the path of major drug-trafficking routes, St. Louis has been plagued by murders and other violent crimes for years. The crime rate fell 4% last year -- and it's down 50% from the crack epidemic days of the early 1990s -- but St. Louis still ranked fourth in the nation for murders.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is hosting a four-day Urban Crime Summit this month aimed at exploring potential policy solutions. For this effort, Missouri is bringing in New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly who is on record as saying 'Stop and Frisk' is a vital crime-prevention tool.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay 

"Our streets are awash with guns. It is far too easy for criminals to get them. This has got to stop. No matter where you live, how much money you make, or what the color of skin is, you have a right to live in a safe neighborhood and not have to worry about becoming a victim of a crime. We must send a message to the people who are all too willing to carry and use illegal guns in our cities: your nonsense won't be tolerated here."

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Sam Dotson

"Violent crime continues to plague urban areas throughout the country. As a society we must all work together to address crime," said . "This summit is a great opportunity to engage in conversation centred around new and innovative practices to combat crime in our region."

Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté 

"Reducing violent crime in Kansas City has been my primary goal since I was sworn in as Chief of Police. I look forward to discussing violence prevention strategies with our cross-state colleagues and some of the most innovative thinkers in the field of law enforcement."

THE QUESTION:

 

Is the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson Mo.,  a result of 'Racial Profiling' by the 'white cop' or a series of bad choices and behaviours of the 'black 'victim?

LEMONS TO:

Judge Shira A. Scheindlin. For suppressing a proven tactic in high crime areas and putting lives in jeopardy for doing so.

Here come da judge!

THE QUOTE:

"Gang members have invariably grown up in broken, chaotic homes, often experiencing domestic violence; they have truanted from school and many have been formally excluded; and they live in neighbourhoods where wordlessness  addiction and crime are rife."

- Iain Duncan Smith




THE CLIP: