NYPD Will Now Issue Receipts During Stop-and-Frisk Procedures
New York police now have a new procedure they must follow when questioning anyone during street stops. According to the New York Daily News, the NYPD has formally introduced a new system where cops will be required to issue receipts to anyone they stop.
Patrick Lynch, the head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the largest NYPD union, says the move is, however, "another nail in the coffin of proactive policing." He even anticipates it will bring a rise in retaliatory complaints against cops.
"Instead of improving community relations, these receipts will accelerate an increase in crime and disorder, which will damage the city's economic health while hurting those crime-ridden communities who need our protection the most," he said.
Called the "What Is a Stop?" slip, the receipt will go to those who are stopped but not arrested. Officers will be requred to provide their names and check one of more of six factors that led to the stop. For example, a person being close to a crime scene or matching the description of a suspect would be taken into consideration.
In the case of racial profiling, which many have deemed a problem since stop-and-frisk began, the order says that people cannot be stopped "because they are members of a racial or ethnic group that appears more frequently in local crime suspect data."
Street stops have reportedly reached a record high back in 2011, with nearly 700,000 individuals being stopped. This year, the projected number is said to be around 42,000.
BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world.
Watch: BET News: The Criminal Justice System Is Broken: Vice’s Shane Smith on ‘Fixing the System’ in the video below.
(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)