Plaintiffs’ lawyers in the federal “stop-and-frisk” trial claimed yesterday that a new NYPD directive regarding the controversial crime-fighting program is a “startling admission” of alleged wrongdoing.
The March 5 memo from Chief of Patrol James Hall ordered cops to explicitly detail all stops in their memo books and file photocopies along with their mandatory stop-and-frisk reports.
City lawyers turned over the memo late Tuesday night.
Lawyers in the class-action suit against the city tried to use the document to question cops involved in the case, but were blocked by Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin on grounds that the document went to the NYPD’s commanding officers, not the rank-and-file.
Outside court, plaintiffs’ lawyers described Hall’s order as an obvious ploy to avoid court-ordered supervision of the NYPD.
City lawyers downplayed the memo’s importance, insisting it was merely reinforcing existing police policies.