San Francisco Mayor Lee Ditches 'Stop And Frisk' Proposal
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- San Francisco's mayor has abandoned a police stop and frisk proposal designed to get weapons off the streets.
There was an outcry after Mayor Ed Lee said in June that he was considering stop and frisk, which involves officers stopping and searching suspicious people for weapons.
Stop and frisk is popular in New York City, but critics liken it to racial profiling.
Mayor Lee said he will instead rely on targeted police enforcement, crime-tracking software and increased involvement by ministers to combat the gun violence.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
The mayor was inundated with opposition from the Board of Supervisors, civil rights leaders and clergy. Many of them surrounded Mayor Lee at a news conference where he announced his decision.
"We've had these very sensitive discussions about these programs called stop and frisk that's been done in other parts of the country and I had a chance to review them," Lee said.
Ultimately the mayor said he will instead focus on job creation and getting guns off the streets through buyback and voluntary surrender programs.
"We created over 500 jobs this summer. You can't give jobs to dead kids," Lee added.
The San Francisco Police Department said it will implement Interrupt, Predict and Organize (IPO) to track where violent crime happens, focus on those areas and on people that have committed crimes before.
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