PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal judge has ordered a new pilot program implemented by the Philadelphia Police Department in hopes of ending "stop and frisk" bias.
The move stems from an American Civil Liberties Union suit against the police department which is a decade old. The ACLU had asked the judge to fully end stop and frisk in the city. They argued that despite ten years of court supervision in the case, racial disparities persist.
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Instead, the judge had both parties come together and work on an agreement about how to better ensure public safety, without targeting Black and Brown communities.
Over the past few months, both sides have been working on a pilot program which they say will end racial disparity while ensuring public safety.
It will first be used and studied in the city’s 14th police district, in the northwest which includes West Oak Lane, Germantown and Chestnut Hill.
The focus is on what is known as quality of life offenses, which often includes loitering or disorderly conduct.
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Officers must wear body-worn cameras, and ask or warn the person in question to stop.
If they don’t comply, cops can then "conduct an investigative detention" as long as it abides by PPD Directives.
Accountability officers will also be assigned to districts to evaluate the stops and weed out any patterns that may emerge.
The program starts in August. After three months, both sides will review the data, footage, complaints and arrests, and work to expand the program to the entire city.
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