“Stop and frisk” policies are a known point of controversy. New York City had such a policy until a federal lawsuit was filed and a judge issued an injunction to stop it. “Stop and frisk” refers to law enforcement officers who stop a person and frisk (search) them without a search warrant or any probable cause whatsoever.
These types of warrant-less searches occur in many parts of our nation. According to an article in Reason the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) has filed a class action lawsuit against Madison County alleging “stop and frisk” searches conducted by Madison County Sheriff’s department are illegal. View the full article http://reason.com/archives/2017/09/19/mississippis-jump-out-boys" for yourself.
Law enforcement claims they are searching people that fit a particular appearance because many crimes are committed by people with that appearance. The police claim “Stop and frisk” policies are part of the reason New York City’s crime rate dropped over the last 20 years.
Others claim the policy is nothing short of racial profiling. They claim it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Some people believe a federal law should be passed to prohibit “stop and frisk” policies.
