US media: New York police enforcement has severe racial bias, and African Americans are more likely to be intercepted and checked for race | New York | Police enforcement
On August 29th, according to a report released by the New York City Civil Liberties Union on August 25th, the number of interceptions and checks conducted by New York City police on citizens has continued to increase since Mayor Eric Adams took office, and racial bias has become increasingly severe, with over 90% of intercepted individuals being African American or Latinx.
The report states that since Adams took office, the New York City police have been much more aggressive in intercepting and inspecting vehicles than before. In 2022, a total of 670000 people were stopped and inspected by the police, reaching the highest point since 2015.
The report states that 92% of those who were intercepted in 2022 are African American and Latinx, with only 5% being white. A federal government supervisor stated that 24% of the interceptions conducted by the New York City Police Neighborhood Security Team in 2022 were suspected of being unconstitutional.
Police data shows that from 2023 to present, 7000 African American and Latinx individuals have been stopped and inspected by New York City police, of which 72% have been proven innocent afterwards, and less than three have been arrested for illegal acts. Among the white people who were stopped for inspection, 40% were arrested for illegal behavior. In response, Dunn, the legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, stated that this is because interceptions targeting African Americans and Latinos were unreasonable from the beginning, and for white people, they would only be intercepted when they truly had suspicious behavior.