There has been much attention paid to the impact of the stop-and-frisk policies introduced by the NYPD in recent months. In fact, the issue has divided members of New York City Council with those who perceive them as being an abridgement of civil rights pitted against Mayor Bloomberg, and his supporters (including Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly), who credit these policies with a reduction of crime within the city.
Basically, those in opposition to these policies suggest that they are actually a form of police practice that lends itself to racial profiling. It is argued that black and Hispanic individuals are subjected to these policies in numbers that are disproportionate to the white community.
City Council has been attempting to remove the stop-and-frisk approach from the operational practice of the NYPD, but, Mayor Bloomberg has been adamant in his support for this approach and has used his veto power to block any substantial changes in this area.
Recently, a federal judge has ruled that these stop-and-frisk policies have violated the constitutional rights of minorties within the city. And, while Judge Shira Scheindlin's ruling does not put an end to this tactic, it does require that a monitor be assigned to keep a watching brief on this practice in order to provide further feedback on this matter, as well as, pertaining to other issues such as officer-worn cameras. Lawyer, Peter Zimroth has been appointed to provide that monitoring role as a result of Scheindlin's decision and will offer some insights that may be useful for better understanding these practices.
As part of her review for this case, Scheindlin learned that about 83% of all stops conducted by the NYPD involved black or Hispanics, even though they represent only slightly more than 50% of the city's residents. These are important demographic realities that need to be taken seriously when discussing the difficult topic of racial profiling.
It remains relevant that in Canada only the Kingston Police have conducted any serious study of the potential for racial profiling within a police organization. This eastern Ontario police service undertook a year-long data collection project to determine if racial profiling was taking place in that jurisdiction. The results indicated that there was a disproportionate number of black individuals stopped by Kingston Police officers, however, it was not conclusive that racial profiling took place. Recently, the Ottawa Police Service has been required to pursue studies that approximate what the Kingston Police pioneered several years ago and this large-scale examination will have useful insights for other Canadian police departments.
Of critical importance, is that any study be conducted in a manner that observes strict methodological parameters in order that police policy-makers may have solid, evidence-based information upon which to build better approaches that fully respect citizens rights.
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