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Stop and Frisk: Court decision pending on whether changes to police policy are needed
The case delved into New York Police Department policy and procedure – and the difficulty of explaining intuition that comes with being an officer. Grossman said the phrase “the right people, at the right time in the right location,” repeated by most of the officers on the stand was shorthand for a comprehensive reason for stopping.
The phrase first appeared early in the trial on a recording made secretly by an officer of his superiors. The officer says the tapes prove illegal quotas were in place and said he felt pressure to make stops and were punished for falling short. Another officer said the New York Police Department wanted “quantity not quality.”
Grossman argued the city did not link illegal quotas to any wrongful stops. More than 30 other officers, including former Chief of Department Joseph Esposito, testified there were no quotas, but motivating performance goals were necessary because some officers avoid engaging with the public.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the department was turning a blind eye to the issue.
“The police department has said over and over and over again that there’s no problem,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Jonathan Moore.
He said a court-appointed monitor was needed to shepherd changes in training, policy and supervision because the department could not be trusted to do it alone.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
