Time to overhaul NYC 'stop-and-frisk' policy: Your Say

A federal judge ordered an overhaul of New York City's stop-question-and-frisk policy, saying it discriminates based on race. Facebook comments and letter edited for clarity and grammar:

Whether it is constitutional or not will continue to be debated.

But one fact is that during 10 years of stop-and-frisk, about 8,000 guns have been confiscated. That can't be a bad thing.

— Jesse Smith

Five million stops during the past decade. But the trial involved testimony from only 11 men and one woman who said they were wrongly stopped because of their race. That is not many.

Although wrongful stops are sad, they are the only way for urbanites to take back their cities.

— Tom Mahaffie

The judge's ruling is awesome news because the people stopped the most are minorities.

This behavior is something white folks will never understand.

For those of us who are minorities, being stopped and checked for no reason is a part of life. That will change in time with changes to the policing system.

— Ricardo Rivera

The policy does not seem racist to me; however, searching without a warrant or probable cause is a grave concern for the public.

— Jack Briss

Letter to the editor

I agree with the federal judge who ordered an overhaul of New York City's stop-question-frisk policy. There needs to be a stop-and-say-hello policy ("Judge rips NYPD's stop-frisk practice," News, Tuesday).

As a New York police officer in the 1970s, I learned that the way to decrease crime, and help in creating safer neighborhoods, is to be respectful in a communicative manner to all individuals. The uniform seems to change some officers. The police academy and the supervisors in the station need to teach and model human respect.

Yes, I observed a subliminal negative attitude based on race, gait, clothing and speech. Police departments must look not only at statistics, but they also must look at their own behavior.

In this way, the police learn about others, and residents learn about the police, to develop interaction that does not produce fear of each other.

Louis Cohen; Tamarac, Fla.