Report: Beat Cops Wary Of Potential Stop-And-Frisk Related Lawsuits
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- A warning posted in police precincts around the city warned cops not to risk losing their jobs over Stop-And-Frisk, The New York Post reported.
"All officers should be careful not to initiate any law-enforcement action that could be construed as violating the new legislation and subject the officer to legal action," read the memo by Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch.
Sources said that a number of cops planned to follow the memo rather than risk a lawsuit, The Post reported.
"We are being told not to look for perpetrators of crimes because then we are opening ourselves up to a lawsuit and the job isn't going to represent us," the source said.
The report indicated that word of the policy shift had started to hit the street and sources told The Post that there are concerns that it could lead to a spike in violent crimes.
"Perps on the street are saying, 'If they're not going to stop me, I'm going to start carrying again.' That's the word on the street," said one police source, "The number of stops is going to go way down, and crime is going to go way up. Shootings and murders are going to come back big time."
Bills passed by the City Council after an override of a veto by Mayor Bloomberg will create additional oversight over the NYPD and give citizens more room to sue cops for racial profiling.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have both blasted the override and warned that it could cause an increase in violent crime.
Advocates of the override have called the override an important step in preventing unconstitutional stops and protecting civil liberties.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
