Stop And Frisk Summary

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In this report, I will discuss changes in the stop, question, and frisk policy since Floyd v. The City of New York City. The case of David Floyd et al (2013) brought a class action lawsuit against The City of New York claiming that New York City Police Department violated their Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Due to the police department's widespread practice of suspicion-less stops and frisks of African American and Hispanics. David Floyd was helping a tenant gain access in his aunts building. David had tried several keys before The NYPD showed up and frisked him. However, before Floyd v The City of New York the Supreme Court had validated a case called Terry v. Ohio (1968). Officer McFadden, a 39-year …show more content…

Stating that it empowers police officers to protect themselves against armed citizens for weapons. Stop and Frisk led to the retrieval of 780 guns in 2011 (UCR). However, it should be noted that this number represents only a tiny fraction (.01%) of the total number of frisks that resulted in weapons recovery. Nevertheless, because police safety is an essential component of effective law enforcement, the legal system has tended to uphold the practice of Stop and Frisk. A second benefit noted by supporters is that it has contributed to a reduction in the state prison population. In the early 1990's, the New York Police Department shifted its law enforcement practices to focus on low-level and quality of life offenses. What started as "broken windows" policing gradually evolved into Stop and Frisk practices. The shift diverted law enforcement resources from felony arrests, which are those most likely to end in incarceration, and led to a rise in arrests for misdemeanor offenses. From 1988 to 2008, the number of felony arrests in New York City decreased by 72%, ultimately contributing to a 17% decrease in the state's correctional population between 2000 and 2009 (Austin and Jacobson 2013). For this reason, proponents claim that Stop and Frisk are in part reasonable for the significant decline in the number of people incarcerated in New

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