The NYPD continues to drastically underreport stops of civilians, a federal monitor wrote Friday, prompting advocates to declare that unconstitutional stop-and-frisks by cops persist.
The ninth report filed by Peter Zimroth, the federal monitor overseeing the NYPD’s reform of stop-and-frisk, noted three “persistent” problems. The department, Zimroth wrote, continues to underreport stops and supervisors do not adequately monitor subordinates’ stops. Reports of stops that are filed are not of adequate quality, he added.
“Any assessment of compliance with the court’s remedial orders will be undermined if the NYPD’s data are not accurate and complete. Second, for reform to take hold, supervisors must take seriously their responsibility to review the constitutionality of stops,” Zimroth wrote.
In 2017, there were only 11,629 stops reported by the NYPD under the court-ordered protocol, though there are 22,000 patrol officers and sergeants.
“The NYPD and de Blasio administration’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ narrative around stop-and-frisk is not based in fact. The large numbers of unreported and unconstitutional stops and continued failure of supervisors to effectively monitor their subordinate officers’ stop activity — all confirmed by the NYPD’s own data — show that the department continues to engage in conduct that undermines public trust and harms New Yorkers,” Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Darius Charney said.
The monitor did credit the NYPD for developing training material, implementing the use of body-worn cameras and a system of performance evaluations for patrol officers.
An NYPD spokesman noted that stop-and-frisks had been reduced from a high of 688,000 in 2011 to 12,000 reported stops last year.
“This reflects the deliberate shift in NYPD strategic focus over the past several years to precise, surgical targeting of crime and criminals. The result is lower crime, fewer stops, and fewer arrests and summonses. NYPD officers and supervisors are instrumental in implementing this new strategic focus, and continue to refine tactics to ensure that every stop is appropriately documented and meets constitutional standards,” the spokesman said. “This not only makes New York City the safest big city in America, but also one with fewer confrontational encounters between police and residents.”
