Public can sue NYPD over stop and frisk racial profiling, judge rules

Policewoman frisking man. PHOTO/Getty Images

A New York state judge has upheld a law making it easier for citizens to sue police officers performing unlawful stop and frisk based on race.

According to Justice Anil Singh, “this law provides an important opportunity for New Yorkers who are subject to racial profiling or other discriminatory behavior the opportunity to vindicate their rights.”

“The law only seeks to deter the use of attributes such as race as the sole basis for an investigatory stop which is antithetical to our constitution and our values,” Singh added.

The Community Safety Act was passed shortly after a federal judge ruled in August that police in New York City had violated the rights of residents and illegally stopped a disproportionate number of African Americans and Latinos.

Read more: Huffington Post