Introduction
Stop and frisk tactics have been used to preserve public safety and officer well-being. A stop and frisk is a non-intrusive police stop and pat-down based on the reasonable suspicion in relation to a crime that has happened, will happen, or is in the process of being carried out (Cornell Law School, 2017). Stop and frisk situations are highly common and the reported instances have increased by approximately 7% annually (Hovhannisyan, 2006). However, the approach is highly controversial because it operates primarily on officers' perceptions and opinions, which opens the door to personal prejudices dictating the usage. This executive summary includes the advantages and disadvantages involved in stop and frisk procedures as well as the constitutionality and recommendations to improve the approach.
Advantages of Stop and Frisk Procedures
Stop and frisk procedures are used in situations that present a potential threat to the officer or public. It serves as a key component to prohibit a threat from escalating and catching individuals who have, will, or are in the process of committing a crime. According to interviews with the New York Police Department, stop …show more content…
Stop and frisk procedures have a foundation of personal perception that can easily be skewed by opinions and past experiences. This leads to apparent racism and other prejudices when evaluating a situation. However, arguments have been made that police stop rates reflect the crimes committed in correlation with ethnicity and social structure. In response to this, multiple analyses of the New York Police Department (NYPD) were completed. The findings support that individuals of Hispanic and African American descent were stopped and frisked more often than white individuals when conducted in an environment that controlled for precinct variability and race-specific crimes (Gelman, Fagan, & Kiss,
Stop and frisk tactics have been used to preserve public safety and officer well-being. A stop and frisk is a non-intrusive police stop and pat-down based on the reasonable suspicion in relation to a crime that has happened, will happen, or is in the process of being carried out (Cornell Law School, 2017). Stop and frisk situations are highly common and the reported instances have increased by approximately 7% annually (Hovhannisyan, 2006). However, the approach is highly controversial because it operates primarily on officers' perceptions and opinions, which opens the door to personal prejudices dictating the usage. This executive summary includes the advantages and disadvantages involved in stop and frisk procedures as well as the constitutionality and recommendations to improve the approach.
Advantages of Stop and Frisk Procedures
Stop and frisk procedures are used in situations that present a potential threat to the officer or public. It serves as a key component to prohibit a threat from escalating and catching individuals who have, will, or are in the process of committing a crime. According to interviews with the New York Police Department, stop …show more content…
Stop and frisk procedures have a foundation of personal perception that can easily be skewed by opinions and past experiences. This leads to apparent racism and other prejudices when evaluating a situation. However, arguments have been made that police stop rates reflect the crimes committed in correlation with ethnicity and social structure. In response to this, multiple analyses of the New York Police Department (NYPD) were completed. The findings support that individuals of Hispanic and African American descent were stopped and frisked more often than white individuals when conducted in an environment that controlled for precinct variability and race-specific crimes (Gelman, Fagan, & Kiss,