The former top uniformed officer for the NYPD took the stand Tuesday in the stop-and-frisk trial in Manhattan federal court.
Former Chief of Department Joseph Esposito was questioned by attorney Jonathan Moore about whether the police department has any program for tracking officers who may have a suspicious pattern of racial profiling in using stop-and-frisk tactics.
Esposito insisted there are many checks and balances, beginning with the supervisors, who must sign off on the forms the officers fill out stating whether there was reasonable suspicion for each stop.
If there was reasonable suspicion, said the chief, it can’t be racial profiling.
The plaintiff’s attorney then pointed out that stop-and-frisk numbers increased dramatically from 97,000 in 2002 to 685,000 in 2011, all on Esposito’s watch.
Esposito admitted the increase and pointed out the 40 percent decrease in crime, all on his watch.
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