Unlock the truth!

Unlock the truth!

The lesson I taught my class was---- What is public policy?

-The students needed to understand what public policy is and how it works.

So we had to decide on which public policy we wanted to explore .

Research and Investigation was the chosen topic.

The students in the class almost unanimously chose to discuss the Diallo shooting.

Unfortunately, the shooting is not a public policy.

The students had to figure out which policy was responsible for the shooting.

Eventually, we decided on “Stop and Frisk “ practices.

What is Stop, Question and Frisk?

research m eth od s

p erson a l exp erien cess tu d en t exp erien ce

in te rview s

In te rn e t search R esearch an d P o lls

To know it, we had to research it:

Personal Experiences

Students shared their experiences with police officers.

They also interviewed friends and relatives on their experiences.

They spent time evaluating all these experiences and finding what they had in common.

Students opinions:

The cops were wrong and they are always shooting and messing with people for no reason

They picked on an innocent person, they were too aggressive

I just think they shot too many times

Results of internet research www.oag.state.ny/press/199

9dec/dec01a_ 99.htm

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today released the results of an investigation by his office into the "stop and frisk" practices of the New York City Police Department that show that blacks and Hispanics are stopped at a disproportionately higher rate than whites.

The eight-month study reviewed 175,000 "UF-250" forms provided by the NYPD. Officers must fill out the forms each time they make a "stop." The investigation covered a 15-month period from January of 1998 through March of this year.

Results of polls and survey

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officers SCU

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Stop report and statistics Even accounting statistically for the fact that minority

neighborhoods have a higher crime rate, blacks and Hispanics were still more likely than whites to be stopped by the police; blacks 23% more likely, Hispanics 39% more likely;

Blacks were 2.1 times more likely to be stopped for suspicion of committing a violent crime than were whites; and 2.4 times more likely to be stopped for suspicion of carrying a weapon;

Hispanics were 1.7 times more likely to be stopped for suspicion of committing a violent crime than were whites; and 2.0 times more likely to be stopped for suspicion of carrying a weapon.

Overall, one in nine stops of individuals resulted in an arrest. The investigation showed that blacks and Hispanics were stopped more often per arrest than whites:

The NYPD stopped 9.5 blacks, 8.8 Hispanics, and 7.9 whites for each stop that resulted in an arrest.

My classes (722 & 723) enacted a familiar scenario and then gave tips to prevent them.

How do we avoid dangerous consequences with police?

Courteous behavior Respect No sudden movements

Conclusions by students

Never resist the questions of an officer

Always put your hands in clear view

Try to remember the officers name for reference