Stop and Frisk on Trial in NYC: Race, Crime and Constitutional Policing

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Shira Schiendlin ruled that the New York City Police Department's use of "Stop and Frisk," a policing tactic in which officers detain and search citizens on the street who are guilty of suspcious behavior, is unconstitutional as currently practiced. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his police commissioner, Ray Kelly, consider the tactic an unequivocal success, crediting it with bringing New York City's rate of gun-carrying among teens to half the national average. Critics, who claimed victory after Monday's ruling, contend the policy has led to wholesale stops of young black and Latino men, who endure public humiliation and frequent harassment based on nothing more than their skin color and their proximity to high-crime areas.

For more, go to: http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/08/14/stop-and-frisk-nyc-doc.

About 9.54 minutes.

Written and Produced by Anthony L. Fisher.

Camera by Sharif Matar, Jim Epstein, Josh Swain and Fisher. Heather Mac Donald interview by Tracy Oppenheimer. Additional graphics by Meredith Bragg.

Music: "It's That Real," "Am I Cool Now," "The La La Joint" by The Custodian of Records (http://thecustodianofrecords.blogspot.com)

Go to http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/08/14/stop-and-frisk-nyc-doc for downloadable versions, and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive notifications when new material goes live.