X
October 7, 2014 Amy K. Nelson

When the NYPD stop-and-frisks someone on the street — statisically black or Hispanic — their paperwork is going to change. According to the New York Daily News, cops will have to now have to fill out forms with written explanations for they’re conducting the controversial tactic. That is far different than the current protocol, which […]

Read More…

September 19, 2014 Sophie Weiner

At a City Council hearing on September 8th, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton presented three charts suggesting a dramatic decrease in use of force by NYPD officers over the last twenty years. According to the charts, only 2% of arrests last year required force. However, a City Council analyst raised some questions about the reporting, specifically what defines “force” in […]

Read More…

August 11, 2014 Marina Galperina

With more protests held in Brooklyn on Sunday, the public is questioning “broken windows” theory more than ever. Written in 1982, the theory dictates that punishing smaller crimes to maintain social order deters bigger crimes, although no scientific proof qualifies this opinion. Currently, the theory is under fire over recent recorded acts of police brutality during minor crime policing, such as the death of […]

Read More…

July 9, 2014 Sophie Weiner

Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson is taking steps to reel in the pointless War on Drugs in New York. Many of those charged and arrested in Brooklyn for pot possession will have their cases dropped without even going to court. “Given that these cases are ultimately — and predictably — dismissed, the burdens that they pose on the […]

Read More…

June 26, 2014 Bucky Turco

Despite a marked reduction in the amount of stop-and-frisks conducted by city cops, overall crime has decreased, but there has been a slight increase in shootings this year and so the NYPD is going to study the data to see if there’s any correlation. As noted by the Wall Street Journal, Police Commissioner Bratton has […]

Read More…

March 5, 2014 Andy Cush

Yet another dent in the argument that stop-and-frisk is a necessary tool for police to prevent violent crime: statistics show the number of stops is continuing to decline this year, and the number of murders, shootings, rapes, and robberies is declining as well. According to DNAinfo’s Murray Weiss, this quarter, the NYPD is on track to […]

Read More…

February 25, 2014 Andy Cush

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey just conducted its first study on stop-and-frisk in Newark, and while much is left to be learned, one thing seems clear: in terms of results, Newark cops are better at it than the NYPD. In the city across the Hudson, about 25 percent of stops result in […]

Read More…

January 30, 2014 Andy Cush

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 […]

Read More…

September 19, 2013 Andy Cush

A new study  by the Vera Institute of Justice confirms what may seem like an obvious truth: people who have been stopped and frisked and live in areas with a high police presence generally distrust the NYPD. According to the Daily News, the study found that “for every additional time someone was stopped, that person was 8% […]

Read More…

September 18, 2013 Andy Cush

Last month, the Bloomberg filed a request with federal judge Shira A. Scheindlin, asking her to delay the effects of her recent court decision against stop-and-frisk until the city filed its appeal. This week, Scheindlin denied that request.  “Ordering a stay now would send precisely the wrong signal,” she wrote yesterday. “It would essentially confirm […]

Read More…