The use of stop and frisk by the New York City Police Department has reached an all time high.
The NYPD reports that in 2011 officers made almost 700,000 stops.
This week the New York Civil Liberties Union responded with a report criticizing the practice, highlighting that police found weapons on less than two percent of the stops.
But the city sees this as a sign that stop and frisk works.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
HOST INTRO: The use of stop and frisk by the New York City Police Department has reached an all time high.
The NYPD reports that in 2011 officers made almost 700,000 stops.
This week the New York Civil Liberties Union responded with a report criticizing the practice, highlighting that police found weapons on less than two percent of the stops.
Mayor Bloomberg remains a firm supporter of stop and frisk. This morning during his weekly radio show he called the practice an effective crime deterrent.
BLOOMBERG
The whole idea here is not to catch people with guns, it’s to prevent people from carrying guns. The fact that we’re getting fewer guns says the program is working and the program will really have succeeded when we don’t get any guns.
TIME: 0:14
But the NYCLU takes issue with what Bloomberg calls success. The report focused on men age 14 to 24, the prime demographic for stop and frisk.
According to census numbers, white men in this age group account for 2 percent of the city’s population, but they accounted for almost four percent of stops. That’s pretty close.
But the report shows that while young Latino men make up almost 3 percent of the population, they accounted for 16 percent of stops.
The disparity was greatest among young black men. They account for just under two percent of New York’s population, but made up almost 26 percent of stops.
In fact, the NYCLU emphasized that the number of stops of young black men was higher than the population.
But there’s a reason for this, says Delores Jones-Brown, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
JONES-BROWN
The fact that it exceeds the number of young black men who fit that population in the city generally is not new or unexpected again because of the multiple stops that some young men endure.
TIME: 0:18
The New York Police Department did not respond to a request for comment in time for this story.
The NYCLU report does not address the idea that the same people are being stopped repeatedly.
It does say that it disproportionately affects young men of color, suggesting racial profiling.
They also call the practice an infringement on civil liberties.
Mayoral hopefuls including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio say stop and frisk needs some adjustments.
At a mural unveiling in Queens, de Blasio said reform should start with fewer stops.
de Blasio
Now the idea has to be bringing police and community together by figuring out the right number, not 700,000 stops and frisks, that’s absolutely inappropriate.
TIME: 0:10
Managing stop and frisk is still up to the mayor. And other organizations are trying to persuade Bloomberg to make changes. On Father’s Day the NAACP, the National Action Network and local unions will hold a march against stop and frisk outside the mayor’s home.
Commentator Rachel Rogers has noticed something. She gives names to inanimate objects. And it says more about her than she realized.
