The New York Police Department's largest police union asked a city court to throw out a piece of legislation that would enable citizens to put forth lawsuits concerning racial profiling.
Members of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association called the measure too vague, and said that it would make police officers second guess their decisions to stop people for searches like stop and frisks. They described the law as giving too much room that "leaves officers to guess," what action is appropriate to take, adding that it could lead to even more discrimination charges against the New York Police Department.
"[The law] directly threatens the lives and safety of police officers because it chills their willingness to undertake law enforcement action necessary to protect their safety," stop and frisk among them, the Association said in a lawsuit filed against the City Council.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the City Council maintained that it would fight the suit with vigor, pushing a debate that moved from City Hall to court after legislators voted in August to supersede a veto made by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The New York City Mayor filed a suit of his own against the measure in September.
The law lets up on certain legal standards that claim some stop and frisk and other approaches employed by police are often used in cases of discrimination. These kinds of lawsuits cannot seek monetary compensation, but can pursue changes in policy.
Stop and frisk, a hotly contested New York City law that allows police officers to stop any person in public and administer a full search on-site, has long been seen as a concerning technique used by law enforcement officials in the Big Apple. But police insist that the tactics are not only legal, they're also necessary to keep the city safe. Opponents of such procedures view them as intrusions on the rights of people who are often innocent, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
In a statement, the council emphasized it would "aggressively defend" the law.
"We call on both the mayor and the police unions to take a more constructive approach by working with the council to keep New Yorkers safe from crime without violating their constitutional rights," the statement read.
