Leid Stories - Checking Unchecked Police Powers - 03/19/13

2013-03-19

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The trial of a class-action federal lawsuit could bring a long-sought-after end to the controversial stop-and-frisk police practice that overwhelmingly targets African American and Latino males. The trial venue is New York City, where men of color accounted for 83% of more than 531,000 such actions last year alone. But city governments and police departments across the nation are closely monitoring the case. The Center for Constitutional Rights and Latino Justice PRLDEF, which...

The trial of a class-action federal lawsuit could bring a long-sought-after end to the controversial stop-and-frisk police practice that overwhelmingly targets African American and Latino males.

The trial venue is New York City, where men of color accounted for 83% of more than 531,000 such actions last year alone. But city governments and police departments across the nation are closely monitoring the case.

The Center for Constitutional Rights and Latino Justice PRLDEF, which are representing the interests of the plaintiffs in David Floyd v. City of New York, discuss with Leid Stories the salient issues in the case and the efforts by civil-rights organizations to curb escalating instances of unchecked police power.

And a retired captain reveals that many in the law enforcement community oppose the stop-and-frisk practice, even though top brass and the city administration sanction it as a deterrent to crime.

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