NYPD Stops And Questions Record-Breaking 1,900 People A Day

In 2010, when the NYPD broke its previous all-time-high record for stop-and-frisks with a sensational 601,055 street stops, many "frisk fans" said there was no way NYPers could top that in 2011! But Coach Ray Kelly's dream team has just clinched another champion season, breaking the previous record by stopping and questioning an all-time-high of 684,330 people. At press time, video from 1 Police Plaza showed a trio of triumphant beat cops sneaking up behind Kelly with a giant tub of Gatorade. Look out, Popeye!

According to records obtained by the Wall Street Journal (paywall), only 12% of the 684,330 people stopped were arrested or received summonses; the others were not charged. (In 2010, 14% were arrested.) The NYCLU says that more than 4 million people have been stopped since the program began in 2004. (The 5th millionth person stopped gets a complimentary foot-long hoagie!) In 2010, about 84 percent of those stopped by police were black or Latino, while only about 9 percent of people stopped were white. Last year, the racial breakdown kept on that trend: 87% were black or Latino, and 9% were white.

But homicides were down 4% in 2011, and NYPD spokesman Paul Browne tells the Journal, "Stops save lives." Browne argues that 8,263 weapons, including 819 guns, were recovered as a result of stops. But NYCLU director Donna Lieberman says the NYPD has "cut off oversight and important questions by saying crime is down…crime rates were going down before the skyrocketing stop-and-frisk campaign. Once again we see a massive expenditure of resources for a tactic that fails to uncover criminal activity in all but a little more than 10% of the cases."

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By John Del Signore in News on February 14, 2012 10:24 AM

Comments [rss]

Luis

in my opinion nothing change if you know the police act that way. you just stay away from them because nothing you can do . you just go with the flow and don't mess with the police if they stop you let them check you if they want to kill you let them kill you if they want to beat you up let them beat you up just go with the flow because i got beat up many time and nothing change

nobodysvoice

Fear is used to make people feel safe about giving up our freedoms and constitutional rights. Just stop people and frisk them with no probable cause and were ok with this what a bunch of sheep.maybe we deserve to have our rights stripped from us BECAUSE MOST AMERICANS ARE COWARDS..Whats next armed men yelling GESTAPO and kicking in our doors OH wait thats already happining except they yell POLICE instead.

SangVooo

Im surprised someone hasnt crawled out of the woodwork to make a big ole "Black Thang" out of it.

Total-Privacy dot US

Eazy E

I'm not given to conspiracies, but how did we get to the point where we are randomly searching and questioning people?

Midnight Fapper

I have a little idea for all you wankers crying racism: how about the police leave the blacks and latinos alone for just a week or two?

You'll be singing a different tune in no time!

DrSysz

You really need to move back to the fucking Alps kid...

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

Come on guys, maybe the cops are just lonely on the beat and are looking for a little interracial conversation!

LICnative

Sophie's choice. Stop and frisk and earn the ire of the populace or don't stop and frisk and risk thousands more deaths of black and brown young men?

Can't have it both ways.

randomtransplant

WTF can't have it both ways.

Violent crime was falling before stop and frisk, and its falling all over the country without it.

LICnative

And the drop is bigger in New York than any other place. The policy has been in effect for more than ten years, it's only getting the press now. Common sense dictates that if you're going to get a flip because you're young and black, then don't carry when you're young and black. Store it until you need it.

The proof is in the lack of bodies. The murder rates don't go down every year because of creative accounting. It's because there are less bodies. Bodies that are traditionally overwhelmingly young, black and brown.

Unless we equip every cop with a pair of x ray specs, how ARE they to know who's strapped and who isn't? So as a society we are forced to make a choice, stop and frisk or no stop and frisk. You either do it, or you don't. If you stop, the bodies will pile up or they won't.

If I was the parent of an inner city young man, that's a hell of a choice to make. Weighing the less of two evils, ensuring the kid's civil rights or the increased potential of burying that same kid.

It's not a winning scenario for either side of the debate.

.

Guest

society already made their choice, its call the 4th amendment.

maybe you and the NYPD should give it a read sometime.

LICnative

Then, at least you've made a choice. The choice may come with a downside, namely more dead kids.

If that occurs, then the blame rests with us, since we, not they, made that choice.

I can live with it either way. As long as we're all clear on the consequences. Although I would imagine if the bodies did pile up, most of us would still blame "them".

Guest

no, its not my choice. it was Congress, enacted in 1791. and its not NYPD's choice whether to uphold the Constitution or not -- its their sworn duty as public servants.

so are you done sounding ridiculous?

Lisanne!

Not until that burdensome document called the constitution is laid to rest permanently..

That's the documented that ended slavery for good.

With that consideration I'll support the constitutional right of LICnative to continue sounding ridiculous. With the hope that LICNative doesn't turn disrespect into legally questionable activity.

randomtransplant

I blame racist anti-Americans who don't understand correlative analysis of independent causes & independent effects.

You know, those who piss the soul of our country away over their own assumptions rather than results. Is that what you meant by "them"?

LICnative

"Them" is the police.

randomtransplant

No, I blame you. Lets be clear.

You make it easy for a thug to imagine a racist cracker when they see a potential victim.

Because at the end of the day, they arn't any better or different than you.