“Stop and frisk” in Philadelphia

Guests: Craig Straw, Mary Catherine Roper

In this hour, Marty and her guests debate the efficacy of pedestrian stops, the controversial police tactic known as “stop-and-frisk.”  The Philadelphia police department has been closely monitoring the use and context of each stop as a result of a 2011 lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Pennsylvania.  The reports are intended to minimize unconstitutional pedestrian stops as well as examine the amount of potential racial profiling. Mayor Kenney campaigned last year with a promise to end the practice of “stop-and-frisk” but claims now that his intention was to eliminate the unfair searches and seizures that had been reported, not pedestrian stops overall.  A town hall featuring the mayor was held on Friday.  Today, we’re joined by Deputy Solicitor CRAIG STRAW of the Philadelphia Law Department’s Civil Rights Unit and ACLU of Pennsylvania attorney MARY CATHERINE ROPER, to discuss the effectiveness of “stop-and-frisk.”