Stop and Frisk free essay sample

â€Å"NYPD’s controversial Stop and Frisk policy ruled unconstitutional† by Kerry Wills, Robert Gearty, and Stephen Rex Brown; which was polished January 8th, 12013. A major part of â€Å"Stop and Frisk’ in New York City is, NYPD is that it’s unconstitutional. The community feels that people feel that there is racial issue towards stopping and frisking. Manhattan Federal Court Judge Shira Scheindlin ordered police to reduce the amounts of trespass and abusing their power to frisk everyone. Juan Gonzalez feels that, â€Å"Too many innocents harassed by NYPD’s â€Å"Stop and Frisk† policy. † The police department were practicing, Stop and Frisking in front of a private residential building. The police Commissioner Raymond Kelly totally agreed with the police officers practicing to stop and frisk. Raymond Kelly states, â€Å"Some take for granted the safety provided by doormen. † Part of the community disagrees and agrees with them practicing stop and frisk and most people feel like it seem to be racial profiling. Approximately 87 percent were Hispanic or Black and of that percentage 90 percent were deemed innocent (Huffington Post). In comparison, from 2002 to 2011 Hispanics and Blacks made up 90 percent of people stopped, and 88 percent of those stopped were innocent New Yorker (New York Civil Liberties Union). If racial profiling in this case was effective that would be one thing, but there has yet to be any published research that has proven the effectiveness of this program, which is shown in the lack of arrests produced. Violent crimes in New York have decreased by 29 percent between 2001 and 2010; however, other major cities, such as Los Angeles and New Orleans, have experience larger declines without the use of stop and frisk (New York Civil Liberties Union). This is a clear example of why this program that causes more harm than good, should be abolished. This issue is similar to the racial profiling tactics used by Transportation Security Administration officers at countless airports across the United States. Since the September 11th attacks there have been countless claims of racial profiling in airports, particularly against those who appear to be Muslim or Middle Eastern. While it is the TSAs job to keep airports safe and travelers minds at ease, as it is the NYPDs job to accomplish similar goals, this does not give them the right to stop those who are profiled due to their race, religion or simply because their physical appearance is suspicious. However, unlike the random search tactics used in New York, there is evidence that exhibits that the majority of Americans are in favor f racial profiling in airports. According to a 2010 poll conducted by USA Today, 75 percent of Americans polled favored subjecting airline passengers, who fit a profile of terrorists based on age, gender and ethnicity to more extensive security searches. Although airport security is extremely important, I would be in favor of a more random method of searching rather than specifically targeting a certain demogr aphic on the basis that they â€Å"fit a profile. For example, Mexican airport utilize a system where every traveler has to push a button that displays either a red light, which signifies that they must stop for further inspection, and green, which indicates that they are free to pass. Such a random system almost eliminates the possibility of racial profiling. One may argue that although, as a result of this program, only 10 percent of the people stopped and searched are actually arrested, that still means that there are less criminals roaming the streets making the city a safer place. The Police Commissioner of the NYPD, Raymond Kelly, has gone on the defense against critics, saying that neighborhoods, such as Harlem, have grown, population wise, and become safer. Kelly said that the program helped expose 8,000 illegal weapons in 2011 and that it is â€Å"a life-saving measure. † Still, the program faces judgment from local politicians and organizations, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union, who strongly believe that is useless, except in its targeting of residents of â€Å"high-crime areas† and makes them feel like second-class citizens.