Chicago police place tighter controls on 'stop-and-frisk' policy
Minorities in Chicago may be less likely to be stopped and frisked without adequate legal justification, following an , announced Friday, the Associated Press reported.
The Chicago Police Department will work with the ACLU to allow independent evaluations of its stop-and-frisk procedures, which critics and research say disproportionately target minorities.
The partnership 鈥渃alls for聽increased public disclosure and more officer training鈥� and will require former US Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys to provide public reports, twice a year, on Chicago police investigatory stops and pat-downs, according to AP.
It follows an ACLU study published in March, which found Chicago police lead the nation in using the controversial tactics and often when employing them.
The investigation said the CPD conducted more than a quarter million stops of civilians that did not lead to an arrest during the summer of 2014. It also noted 鈥淎frican Americans represent nearly 72% of all the stops in the City of Chicago, as compared to the reality that African Americans represent only about 32% of the City鈥檚 population.鈥澛�
鈥淲hat this data shows should be a wake-up call for residents of the City,鈥� said Karen Sheley, senior legal counsel and one of the authors of the report, according to an ACLU press release. 鈥淐PD is engaging in wholesale stop-and-frisks of African-American youth, without any link to criminal activity in most cases.鈥�
Chicago聽Police Superintendent聽Garry聽McCarthy 聽that the department is committed to fighting crime effectively and fairly:聽"We believe policing in Chicago must be strictly based on crime data, patterns, statistics and community intelligence, and this unprecedented agreement with the ACLU is a demonstration of CPD's commitment to fairness, respect, transparency, and underscores our willingness to work side by side with everyone as we work toward our shared goal of keeping our neighborhoods safe."
Controversy over similar policies in New York City and Newark, N.J., have resulted in court-imposed limits on stop-and-frisk, and New York's mayor Bill de Blasio ran, in part, on an anti-stop-and-frisk platform, .
The Chicago Sun Times reports that officers will now have to be more rigorous when they are required to fill out when they stop someone on the street for questioning.
This information includes facts about the person鈥檚 name, race, sex, and why they have been contacted. Now, the CPD will also have to input data about 鈥渨hether the person was frisked, whether contraband like a gun was found, and whether there was an arrest, warning, or citation,鈥� according to The Sun Times.
Chicago Police Superintendent Mr. McCarthy told The Sun Times he thinks his officers make valid stops but could 鈥渂etter articulate鈥� on contact cards why they stop someone.
鈥淚f we can do it better, I am willing to try,鈥� he said.
