stop and frisk policy

Race and Ethnicity in the U.S. Research Portfolio Artifact One: Denver Post Article Police in Colorado often stop and frisk, but little racial data exists By David Olinger

Our first artifact that we chose to demonstrate for our research project is an article from the Denver Post which pertains to Stop and Frisk in Colorado and how hardly any racial data exists. It states that ten thousands of people in Colorado are stopped each year and most often they are frisked for weapons but yet their departments provide brief information about who is being stopped or why. These policies and data collection regarding the use of this investigative technique vary from city to city. Out of the five largest cities in Colorado, only two collect demographic statistics on these so called field-interview reports.
Even though there is minimal evidence recorded throughout the state there are still many cases that have been reported to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado). For example, African American men who say they have been stopped and frisked frequently, sometimes even forced to lie down and as well as a Hispanic male who was falsely accused of being an illegal immigrant and his girlfriend’s apartment being searched without a warrant. These are just some instances where law enforcement has violated not only the privacy of American citizens but also the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
This artifact is just the first step towards determining whether the Stop and Frisk Policy has a racially or ethnically biased tilt in different states across the country. The article itself could be placed under the Social Spice category due to race and ethnic profiling, as well as the Political bracket, since some authority agencies claim that it is a form of governance in order to keep the public safe.