Philly’s Police Accused of Conducting Racially Motivated ‘Stop & Frisk’

A U.S. federal judge is expected to scrutinize a controversial police policy allowing officers to randomly stop and frisk anyone they deem potentially threatening.

The police department in Philadelphia is accused of practicing this controversial policy.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a suit on behalf of eight plaintiffs who accuse the Philadelphia police force of racially motivated stops of black and Latino men in the city.

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FACTS & FIGURES

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In Philadelphia, data obtained from the police department shows that from the 253,333 stops in 2009, more than 72 percent were African Americans. Yet just over 8 percent of those stops led to an arrest. (ACLU of Pennsylvania)

A new study suggests the chances of a minority suspect being arrested are 30 percent higher on average than a white suspect, even when controlling for such things as the suspect’s demeanor, the severity of the offense, the presence of witnesses, and the quantity and quality of evidence at the scene. (Slated for publication in the May 2011 issue of the journal Criminology)

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