Major Blow to “Stop & Frisk” Component

A federal judge in New York City has found some, but not all, of the City’s controversial “stop & frisk” program unconstitutional. The NYPD program, which has disproportionately affected racial minorities, has been criticized as an unreasonable search and seizure which impermissibly discriminates along racial lines.

Manhattan-based Judge Shira Scheindlin struck down the NYPD “clean halls” program, which had targeted persons deemed suspicious by police outside of residential buildings. The program operated only in the Bronx, a borough noted for its high concentration of poor racial minorities.

“Clean Halls” had been one of the more controversial parts of the broader “stop & frisk” program. Last year Jeanette Rucker, a state prosecutor in the Bronx, expressed concerns about the constitutionality of the program and notified cops that her office would be more critical of police actions connected to “Clean Halls” in the future.

Besides ordering an immediate end to “Clean Halls”, Judge Scheindlin also set a hearing for January 31st to determine what other relief, if any, to order. Here’s hoping that the broader “stop & frisk” program, which unfairly targets minorities over nonviolent drug crimes, is next.

Read New York City’s Racist “Stop & Frisk” Program Rolls On in issue 5 starting on page 18.