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Is ‘Stop and Frisk’ Achieving Anything?

Over the years, as the NYPD implemented their controversial ‘stop and frisk’ practices, robbery and burglary rates plummeted. While you may have heard top officials relating the two—suggesting the stop and frisks were causing the drop, there was little causal evidence to connect them. Now, however, a study in Justice Quarterly indicates there is evidence to show once and for all if the stop and frisk practices are responsible for plummeting burglary and robbery rates.

The findings indicate stop and frisk has had little role on the reduction. Continue reading “Is ‘Stop and Frisk’ Achieving Anything?”

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NYPD Uses Force at Alarming Rate, Says NYT Analysis

For every five stops the NYPD makes, they use force. This is a troubling rate, particularly given the heat the department is under for their questionable “stop and frisk” practices. If they are stopping and frisking people under questionable circumstances, and for every five of them, they use force on one, doesn’t it seem as thought NYC’s finest are simply looking for a fight? Continue reading “NYPD Uses Force at Alarming Rate, Says NYT Analysis”

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Harlem Drug Gangs Fractured By Arrests

Two gangs that circled the Robert F. Wagner Houses projects in Harlem have been “brought down” in a series of arrests, according to the New York Times. The gangs had set up shop in the projects, selling drugs on the playgrounds and in entryways. They allegedly used the community center to “divide their proceeds.” Now, though, officials say residents of the area can feel a little safer. Continue reading “Harlem Drug Gangs Fractured By Arrests”

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What’s in a number? NYPD officers admit fudging crime stats

Two criminologists conducted a survey of some 1,962 retired NYPD police officers. What they found was that many, nearly half of recent retirees admitted to having “personal knowledge” of crime-report manipulation. According to the New York Times, this manipulation could include downgrading offenses or encouraging witnesses to not report crimes—all in an effort to make the crime statistics of the city seem lower than they actually are. Continue reading “What’s in a number? NYPD officers admit fudging crime stats”

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Judge Scolds NYPD on Public Drinking Citations

Brooklyn Judge Noach Dear is tired of seeing defendants brought before him on charges of drinking in public. So tired that he said he will no longer allow officers to identify alcohol by mere sight or “sniff test.” In what the NY Times calls a “highly impractical standard,” Judge Dear wants cops to prove the beverage they are citing someone for was alcohol. Continue reading “Judge Scolds NYPD on Public Drinking Citations”

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New Phone App Allows Citizens to Document “Stop and Frisk”

Have you ever wanted to record police and immediately send your video to a powerful civil liberties group? Well, now there’s an app for that. According to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) has developed a smart phone application that will help keep tabs on New York police officers and their employment of the city’s stop and frisk tactics. Continue reading “New Phone App Allows Citizens to Document “Stop and Frisk””