Stop and Frisk Practice Debate
There are quite a few debates about the “stop and frisk” practice, which is actively used in many US states. In order to understand the correctness and appropriateness of such practice it was necessary to analyze several sources. Thus, Kiely (2016), in his article raised the question on the constitutionality of this practice, taking into account the views of the US president Donald Trump and other famous politicians.
The author puts emphasis on the case, which was ruled in the court of New York, challenging the “stop and frisk” practice carried out by police officers to those individuals, whom they consider suspicious. The collective lawsuit against law enforcement officers claimed that blacks and Hispanics often become objects of such police operations because of the disproportionate racial prejudice. The opinions of such politicians as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are taken into account. It became clear that Clinton believes “stop and frisk” practice is unconstitutional, and her point of view was shared by Holt. At the same time, Donald Trump considers this practice effective if it is carried out according to the rules. The author of the article pointed out that the prosecution lawyers called “stop and frisk” process humiliating, unreasonable, and unconstitutional. In turn, representatives of the police noted that "stop and frisk" operations have contributed to a sharp drop in violent crimes in New York in recent years. In 2012, more than 500 thousand people were stopped on the streets of New York by the police. However, more than a half of those, detained by officers, were blacks. Nevertheless, the judge did not abolish the practice of “stop and frisk” based on the fact that it is quite an effective way to apprehend criminals, the main thing that it did not violate the rules of US constitution.
In conclusion, there are different opinions about the “stop and frisk” practice. While some believe that it contradicts the constitution, others are convinced of the effectiveness of this procedure. However, the most important is the compliance of “stop and frisk” practice with the rules, so there were no questions of its unconstitutionality.
References
Kiely, E. (2016). Is Stop-and-Frisk Unconstitutional? - FactCheck.org. Factcheck.org. Retrieved from …
