NYPD Officers Confused, Fearful of Stop-and-Frisk Rules

Police officers in New York City are confused about the department's new stop-and-frisk program to the point that they are fearful of conducting any stops because of potential backlash.

The New York Post reported that NYPD officers are unsure of how to approach stop-and-frisk situations.

"Officers have said, 'The law is confusing. I don't know what's expected of me anymore,'" Attorney Peter Zimroth wrote to Manhattan federal Judge Analisa Torres after receiving feedback from officers.

Zimroth said another officer told him, "With the environment that we're in now, it's not worth stopping anyone because the department won't have our backs."

Part of the updated policy requires officers to fill out paperwork for each stop-and-frisk they make.

"That form is toxic, and there's too much paperwork. It's like doing a mortgage application," Zimroth wrote, citing feedback from officers.

The program allows officers to stop anyone on the street and question and/or search them. Critics have said it leads to profiling.

Earlier this year, the NYPD agreed to cut back on the number of stop-and-frisks it performs in thousands of private apartment buildings in the city, The New York Times reported.

In February 2016, Zimroth wrote another memo regarding the policy and said officers were unknowingly conducting unconstitutional stops because they were unaware about reforms to the program.

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