Right-Wing Media On Stop And Frisk: “Order” First, Constitution Second

Written by Sergio Munoz & John Kerr

Published

On August 12, a federal court judge ruled that the New York Police Department (NYPD) was improperly performing the common police tactic of “stop and frisk” by unconstitutionally targeting persons of color without reasonable suspicion. The New York City Council agreed, and passed legislation over a mayor's veto on August 23 to safeguard against future unconstitutional applications of this long-standing enforcement tactic. Right-wing media responded by ignoring the constitutional violations and instead defended the NYPD's actions for “establishing a sense of order.”

Between January 2004 and June 2012, the NYPD conducted over 4.4 million stops.

  • In 98.5% of the ensuing 2.3 million frisks, no weapon was found
  • Only 6% of all stops resulted in an arrest, and 6% resulted in a summons
  • The remaining 88% of the 4.4 million stops resulted in no further law enforcement action
  • In 52% of the 4.4 million stops, the person stopped was black
  • In 31% of the stops, the person stopped was Hispanic
  • In 10% of the stops, the person stopped was white
  • In 2010, New York City's resident population was roughly 23% black, 29% Hispanic, and 33% white

[Floyd v. City of New York, 8/12/13]

 

Previously:

Fox News Confuses The Constitutionality Of Stop And Frisk Enforcement Tactics With The Unconstitutional NYPD Version

Still Not Understanding Stop And Frisk, Right-Wing Media Now Misinforming On Chicago Policing

Right-Wing Media Forgo Their Commitment To The Constitution To Defend NYPD's Stop And Frisks