DETROIT — Detroit human rights organizations questioned stop and frisk activities which are currently ongoing or will be initiated by the Detroit Police Department during a press conference at the American Civil Liberties Office here Thursday. 

The groups shared concern about the current and future Detroit Police Department search and seizure practices in the wake of a recent federal court ruling, which found New York Police Department’s Stop-and-Frisk policy to be unconstitutional. Two think tanks that helped implement Stop-and-Frisk in New York are currently assisting and training the Detroit Police Department. 

Under Stop-and-Frisk police can temporarily detain somebody and pat down their outer clothing when there are facts leading a police officer to believe a person is armed and dangerous. It is not necessary for the officer to identify a specific crime they think is being committed, only that a set of factual circumstances exist that would lead the officer to have reasonable suspicion that criminal activity is taking place. 

Activists from human rights groups speaking out against the use of Stop-and-Frisk polices in Detroit

ACLU Michigan Staff Attorney Mark Fancher says in New York City there was instances where police officers were stopping people based solely on their racial identification, and the court found that to be unconstitutional. 

Activists say people who fit the description of criminals are being stopped based off their appearance, and that many Stop-and-Frisk cases result in violence and policy brutality.  

Ronald Scott of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality said there are currently 25 cases that fit the framework of Stop-and-Frisk.  Complaints about Stop-and-Frisk are continuing to mount with local civil rights groups. 

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg sued the City Council this week to overturn a law aimed at curbing the Police Departments use of Stop and Frisk Policy. 

“It is very unfortunate, Detroit is one of the most diverse cities in the country. It is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans outside the Middle East and as Arab Americans we are very concerned…there are numerous Arab Americans who live in the city of Detroit and have businesses in the city. We’re very concerned not only as police officers using race as basis but just upon how the person is dressed or how they look,” Nabih Ayad, Chairman of the Arab American Civil Rights League said. 

Representatives from the Michigan Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, National Action Network – Detroit and Alliance for Immigrants Rights  also spoke out against  Stop-and-Frisk policies.