Subject To a "Stop and Frisk"? There's an App For That 201
lightbox32 writes "The New York Civil Liberties Union released a free smartphone application on Wednesday that allows people to record videos of and report police 'stop and frisk' activity, a practice widely denounced by civil rights groups as mostly targeting minorities and almost never resulting in arrests. The app was thoroughly criticized by the New York Police Department, which said that the tool might prove useful for criminals."
Re:Record Videos (Score:5, Informative)
Yup. Plenty of cases.
http://m.digitaltrends.com/photography/recording-police-is-a-constitutional-right-says-doj/ [digitaltrends.com]
Re:Record Videos (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, and it was deemed to be illegal
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-16/nypd-unlawful-stops-lawsuit/55027100/1 [usatoday.com]
Re:Record Videos (Score:5, Informative)
As it stands, in many places, it is legal to record video in public, including of police and their actions.
As it stands, in many places, it is illegal for the police to harass citizens who decide to record video in public.
Re:They're just targeting those who commit crimes. (Score:5, Informative)
New York is talking about decriminalizing possession of small amount of marijuana, in case you were unaware.
Currently, possession of small amounts of marijuana is punishable by a fine.
You can't fine someone for having marijuana unless you know they have it. One way to find out is to stop and frisk them.
So, they're not targeting criminals, they're targeting people they can issue tickets to.
Think of it as a speed trap for pedestrians....
Re:Record Videos (Score:3, Informative)
String them up and hang the bodies in public as an example
You're no better than the cops by saying that.
First of all, it has yet to be determined if the department is actively targeting specific groups. It may be the case, but that's why it is in court. Some groups commit crimes at a higher per-capita rate than others. So thus, a higher arrest rate for one specific group is not in of itself evidence of discrimination.
Second, assuming the police are not profiling, then the stops are legal. I don't like it, but the Supreme Court has ruled the practice to be legal [wikipedia.org].