Curbing stop -n-frisk will be blessing or curse for NYC?
By David Greene
BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 1- In a decisive vote against the NYPD's controversial stop-and- frisk policy, the New York City Council has passed two pieces of legislation, which could create change in the way police officers conduct business.
During a two-and-a-half hour vote that ended in the wee hours of Friday, June 28, council members voted 40-11 to appoint an inspector general to oversee tactics used by the NYPD and 34-17 to allow individuals to file civil claims in state court on racial profiling.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has vowed to veto both measures, told reporters, "These dangerous pieces of legislation will only hurt our police officers' ability to protect New Yorkers."
Bronx council members Fernando Cabrera and Oliver Koppell voted in favor of the legislation, while Majority Leader Joel Rivera and James Vacca voted against them.
Back in May, federal judge Shira Scheindlin stated that the NYPD's policy, "Displays a deeply troubling attitude towards... fundamental constitutional rights."
Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch told 1010 WINS, "If they don't change their vote, we're going to make sure they're not in office."
According to the latest statistics released by the NYPD, officers stopped more than 685,000 in 2011, with 87 percent of those stopped being Black or Latino.
No comments:
Post a Comment