So if you’re just walking down the street and a cop decides that it’s your turn, you’re cool with him frisking you just because? Even though you aren’t committing a crime?
Cops have too much power. They certainly don’t need more. Glad the New York city council is doing this.
“Stop and frisk” is the most effective way of getting illegal weapons, mainly guns, off the streets of a crime-ridden city.
It does involve an involuntary surrender of 4th Amendment rights but a “crime emergency” situation, as declared by a city government, can allow this to take place (remember the old concept of “the public good”?)
Check how many weapons were removed from NY City’s streets over the past years when “stop and frisk” was policy. Then translate them into how many lives were saved, how many criminals were caught and jailed, how the streets became safer for honest citizens.
What is needed is a publicly explained policy on S&F and reasonable laws on putting that policy into effect without creating a police state.
It is a hard line to walk but it can be done. Otherwise, you can continue to stack up the bodies as they are doing in Baltimore, St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago, with a lot of children among them.
Your choice. I’m going with S&F to save lives.
Such behavior is already unconstitutional and thus illegal under USSC precedent. Stop and frisk requires the officer to be able to articulate specific facts which create a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. This is a lower standard than probable cause but much higher than "just because".