NEW YORK (AP) — The Bronx district attorney’s office is no longer prosecuting people stopped at public housing projects under the city’s stop-and-frisk policy unless the arresting officer ensures the arrest is warranted.
According to The New York Times, the DA’s bureau chief, Jeannette Rucker, sent a letter to the NYPD saying arresting officers will now have to submit to an interview.
The Times say prosecutors quietly adopted the new requirement in July after finding many people arrested for trespassing at housing projects were innocent.
The stop-frisk policy has been criticized for disproportionately targeting blacks and Hispanics.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Rucker overstated her perception of discrepancies regarding criminal trespass arrests. Nonetheless, he said the issue would be addressed at training sessions on how to conduct a lawful stop.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
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