Facing the results of a federal investigation of misconduct,
the Newark Police Department announced that they will release detailed
stop-and-frisk data every month. "The totality really makes this the most
comprehensive policy of its kind, as far as we know, in the nation," New
Jersey ACLU executive director Udi Ofer told the Star-Ledger.
The federal review began after the ACLU revealed that
Newark's Internal Affairs Bureau appeared to be blithely dismissing complaints
of police misconduct. Newark's Police Director Samuel DeMaio denied the
connection between the federal review and the announcement of the policy.
I don't know how anybody can say what the federal government
is going to make us do…This will allow the public to have a more vigorous
conversation in a quicker manner. The monthly reporting is exactly the way to
go.
The Newark PD will release 12 different facets for each
stop, including the names and badge numbers of the officers involved, the
English proficiency of the person stopped, and detailed information regarding
instances where force is used.
Newark's voluntary release of monthly data stands in stark
contrast to the NYPD, which had to be forced by the City Council to release
stop-and-frisk data on a quarterly basis.
But as the NYPD has felt pressure from politicians, community
and civil liberties groups, and a landmark federal trial, they too have been
edging ever-so-slightly towards transparency.
Shortly before the trial began, the NYPD issued a memo
mandating what had previously been a "suggestion": police must write
a detailed narrative of the stop and a thorough description of why the officer
stopped a suspect in their log books. The form police use to record stops,
called a UF250, was also expanded to require more detail.
The NYPD also decreased the number of stops made in the
first quarter of this year by 51% compared to the same period in 2012.