New statistics show the number of police stop-and-frisks over the first three months of the year is more than 10 percent higher than the same quarter last year. More than 203,000 street stops were made by police from January through March, compared to 183,000 stops in the period last year.
The policy allows an officer to stop a person based on reasonable suspicion, which is lower than the probable cause needed to justify an arrest.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the practice has gotten guns off the streets and saved lives, but critics say the police department is unfairly targeting minorities.
(Source: NY1)
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What’s unfair about it? If minorities don’t want to be targeted, all they have to do is stop committing so many crimes. If you resemble a lot of criminals you should expect to attract some heightened scrutiny, and should not be surprised if you get followed around in stores. And if on top of that you dress like a criminal and hang around where one expects to find criminals, then don’t be surprised when a policeman wonders whether you might be a criminal, and watches your behaviour for signs of criminality that he might not think to watch for in other people. And if on top of that you do behave in an objectively suspicious manner, so that the policeman has a reasonable suspicion that you have committed or are committing a crime, don’t be surprised if he stops you, frisks you for his safety, and asks you some reasonable questions to try to confirm or rule out his suspicions.