ACLU Will Monitor Chicago Police Department Stop Practices
On Friday, the Chicago Police Department agreed to share monitoring of the ‘stop-and-frisk’ searches, as a report reveals disproportionate search numbers than in other cities, particularly in the case of black people.
The report comes from the American Civil Liberties Union and was released in March. The data analyzed spanned 250 ‘stop-and-frisk’ searches conducted by the second largest police department in the U.S. between 2012 and 2013.
According to the report,
“Stop and frisk is disproportionately concentrated in the black community”.
72 percent of the stops had members of the black community at their center. Not only that, but on average, New Yorkers, served by the U.S. largest police department were stopped four times less than Chicagoans.
Amidst allegations that police department around the U.S. are disproportionately targeting minority groups during stops and searches, the Chicago Police Department agreed to team up with ACLU as an independent monitor to curb the incidence of the ‘stop-and-frisk’ practices for unwarranted reasons.
In the official address, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy stated:
“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 neighbourhood safe”.
As part of the agreement, the Chicago Police Department will gather data on all the stops it performs. This would include the gender, race and ethnicity of those stopped, why they were stopped. Additionally, location, time and date of the stops will thoroughly be registered, as well as the badge number and name of the officers conducting the stops.
All data thus gathered will be shared with ACLU, as well as Arlander Keys, former magistrate judge. Mr. Keys will issue reports on how the practices of stop-and-frisk are conducted by the Chicago Police Department twice per year.
This practice, albeit controversial, is a must the police department says, if police officers are to tackle the rising criminality rates in the city.
As of July, crime spiked by 21 percent compared to the same period last year. 252 murders were registered with the Chicago Police Department, while shootouts increased by 16 percent as well.
Photo Credits: pulitzercenter.org
