A federal judge ruled that the New York City Police Department’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy, which has been criticized as racial profiling, violates individuals’ constitutional rights – a significant judicial rebuke for what the mayor and police commissioner have defended as a life-saving, crime-fighting tool.<\/p>\n
Instead of ordering an end to the practice, however, U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin appointed an independent monitor to oversee changes to the policy.<\/p>\n
Peter L. Zimroth, a onetime city lawyer and a former chief assistant district attorney, has been appointed as the monitor. In both roles, Zimroth worked closely with the NYPD, Scheindlin said.<\/p>\n
Four men had sued saying they were unfairly targeted because of their race. There have been about 5 million stops during the past decade, mostly black and Hispanic men. Scheindlin issued her ruling after a 10-week bench trial for the class-action lawsuit that included testimony from top NYPD brass and a dozen people, 11 men and one woman, who said they were wrongly stopped because of their race.<\/p>\n