The New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy could be costly under a federal class-action lawsuit that is pending, reports the New York Daily News. Filed in 2010 and made a class action in 2012, the suit accuses the NYPD of imposing quotas that led cops to issue about 700,000 questionable summonses since 2007. The suit covers every person who had a summons dismissed before arraignment due to insufficient allegations.
“The evidence indicates that the Police Department had quotas that applied across different enforcement activities,” said Stephen Neuwirth, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “This case goes after the quota system.” It also seeks monetary damages. The suit is picking up momentum. In August, white-shoe law firm Quinn Emmanuel joined the plaintiffs' team and Manhattan Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin slammed quotas as she ruled the NYPD's stop-and-frisk tactic unconstitutional.