City Council Reviews Stop-n-Frisk Tactic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia City Council Committee held an all-day hearing Tuesday on police conduct, including the controversial tactic known as "stop and frisk."
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey testified that the majority of pedestrian or vehicle stops his officers make do not escalate from "encounters to stop and frisk."
Ramsey says their training techniques include an emphasis on de-escalating situations, like ethics training, or scenarios in which officers are trained in firearms instruction.
"It's a shoot, don't shoot scenario. I want the same kind of scenarios in which you have to deescalate verbally. It's got nothing to do with using firearms or other uses of force. It's about talking to people," Ramsey said.
Abdus Sabur spoke out on behalf of his son, whom he contends was the victim of police misconduct.
"Police brutality in Philadelphia is at an all time high, and you want to sugarcoat it, as if nothing's going on," Sabur said.
In each of the last two years, citizens have lodged about 700 complaints against the police department.
Reported By: Steve Tawa, KYW Newsradio
