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A Brief Note On The Stop And Frisk

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The stop-and-frisk is a police procedure in which “a police officer who is suspicious of an individual detains the person and runs his hands lightly over the suspect 's outer garments to determine if the person is carrying a concealed weapon.” Not to be confused with an arrest, a stop involves only a temporary interference with a person 's liberty. A frisk is limited to a patting down of the outer clothing, unless an officer feels a weapon inside a person’s clothing, and then s/he may then reach inside the clothing.
The controversy of the stop-and-frisk centers around the Fourth Amendment 's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. As mentioned above, the stop-and-frisk is not an unreasonable search; in fact, it is not a search at all. It is an anti-crime measure that police utilize as a proactive method of policing, with the objective of deterring criminals from “toting” illegal weapons on the streets. This preventive approach to crime fighting allows law enforcement to question suspicious individuals, while offering protection for the officer.
The stop-and-risk practice is targeted at high crime areas where there is an undisputed track record of immense criminal activity. Crime rates in most America urban cities are higher than their suburban brethren, and many of the worst crime ridden areas are poor urban enclaves or ghettos. Cities like Atlanta, Georgia boost a 54% African American population, and Washington, DC is at 50.4%. It would stand to reason
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