Stop And Frisk Case Study

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The legal precedent for what is known today as Stop and Frisk is a result of the Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio (1968). In 1963, John W. Terry was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio and charged with possession of a concealed weapon. A police officer, acting on suspicion that Terry was planning to commit a robbery, detained him and patted him down. Terry and his lawyers claimed that his constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure were violated because the police officer did not have a warrant for the search. Once this case reached the Supreme Court, the ruling stated that a police officer does not need a warrant to conduct a search of an individual. Officers only need a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. The term “Stop and Frisk” is a technique which is utilized by police officials for the reduction of crime through stopping and searching the individual(s) they suspect of committing a crime or in possession of illegal weapons or drugs. This policy has been under a constant debate based on the facts that it promotes racial profiling, that stops can be considered illegal, and this policy invades the privacy of all individuals. …show more content…
According to NYPD statistics, police stopped New Yorkers 97,296 times that year. This number increased steadily, reaching a record 685,724 stops in 2011. Following the lead set by the NYPD, police departments in major American cities including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chicago have adopted similar tactics.” (Engler; editor of “Debating “Stop and Frisk”: Race, Rights, and Law

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