One of Bill de Blasio’s key campaign promises involved ending the city’s appeal of a federal lawsuit aimed at the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy, and now, he’s delivering on it. In a deal laid out by the mayor’s administration today, the city will accept a court-ordered monitor to oversee the NYPD for three years to ensure that it doesn’t engage in racial profiling or otherwise overstep its bounds.
Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled stop-and-frisk unconstitutional in August of last year, a decision that Michael Bloomberg appealed and that Michael Cardozo, the city’s lawyer, claimed would cause “irreparable harm” to public safety.
“This is a defining moment in our history,” de Blasio said in a statement. “It’s a defining moment for millions of our families, especially those with young men of color. And it will lay the foundation for not only keeping us the safest big city in America, but making us safer still. This will be one city, where everyone’s rights are respected, and where police and community stand together to confront violence.”
(Photo: Michael Fleshman)
