The plaintiffs’ case in Floyd v. City of New York – the main case challenging the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk – concluded Friday after six weeks of testimony. One of the most remarkable moments came Wednesday, with Lou Reiter of the Jaspar, Ga.-based Lou Reiter Associates on the stand. He’s the plaintiffs’ “expert” witness on “stop, question and frisk”; what follows is the transcript as he was asked about his qualifications. —The Editors
Q: You left LAPD [the Los Angeles Police Department] over 30 years ago, is that correct?
A: True.
Q: The last few years that you were at the LAPD, you weren;t out on the street, right?
A: Not on a regular basis.
Q: Were you out on the street on a regular basis when you were a captain?
A: Not on a regular. I would ride with the officers one night a week up to the month I left. But, no, that was not my assignment.
Q: So it’s been at least 40 years since you were out on the street on a regular basis?
A: Probably.
Q: You have never attended a training or a course on the topic of stop, question and frisk as a student, have you?
A: Certainly not recently. I know it was part of my basic training, but that was back in 1961.
Q: You have never conducted a training or a course on the topic of stop, question and frisk, have you?
A: I have not.