Officers of color with the New York Police Department are being targeted by colleagues for refusing to engage in racial profiling perpetuated by the department’s stop-and-frisk program, reported ThinkProgress.
The program’s quota-based system perpetuated the rampant profiling of minorities in New York City. From 2002 to 2011, 90 percent of stop-and-frisk victims were either black or Hispanic and resulted in nearly no arrests. According to a newly-filed lawsuit, 12 officers of color accuse the department of threatening and punishing them for refusing to follow the stop-and-frisk policy.
In 2009, white officers began harassing officer Adhyl Polanco for notifying the press about the stop-and-frisk quota system and for bringing police corruption to light. Polanco and the other 11 officers have had their jobs threatened, been denied benefits, and put on employment probation. One of Polanco’s colleagues called him a “fucking bitch” on one incident.
Despite evidence indicating otherwise, the NYPD denied that the stop-and-frisk quota system still exists.
“There are no numerical enforcement quotas established by the NYPD,” claimed Deputy Commissioner and spokesman Stephen Davis. “Performance evaluations are conducted for all department employees based on an assessment of their duties, responsibilities and specific conditions of their assignments.”
The NYPD is renowned for its corruption and racism. The fact that the department is trying to silence officers for speaking out just raises the suspicion related to the NYPD’s wrongdoing.
