New York City is appealing a federal judge's ruling that the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program violates the constitutional rights of minorities, according to documents filed in a Manhattan court, CNN reported.
The city filed its notice of appeal after last week's ruling which stipulated that changes must be made to the police because of its unlawful targeting of Hispanics and blacks.
"We think [U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin] could not be more wrong," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in his radio address on Friday. The police department has said that the policy is used to deter crime. The policy was one of a number of programs that helped the city's murder rate to drop, Bloomberg added.
New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly also called the judge's determination of racial profiling "disturbing and offensive."
"We do not engage in racial profiling. It is prohibited by law. We train our officers that they reasonable suspicion to make a stop, and I can assure you that race is never a reason to conduct a stop," he added.
Judge Scheindlin has called for the creation of a pilot project where NYPD patrol officers in five precincts must wear video cameras. She also appointed former chief assistant district attorney Peter Zimroth to develop and oversee near-term reforms, including changes to the NYPD's policies and training, CNN also reported.
The ruling also prompted members of the New York police force to talk disparagingly about the new system, comparing it to the system in place in Chicago.
"Welcome to Chicago," a Bronx police officer said, insinuating that crime rates would match the second city's numbers.
Chicagoan officers, meanwhile, responded by defending their city's reputation and also taking a shot at New York's recent judicial defeat.
"We had significantly less crime, significantly fewer shootings and fewer murders of any year since 1965 without imposing on the right of our residents. We don't engage in racial profiling,"said Adam Collins, the spokesman for the Chicago Police Department
