One Million Police Hours

7/29/2019 One Million Police Hours

1/16

44,111

39,213

27,944

29,752

31,925

39,156

40,383

46,487

50,383

50,484 3

9,218

110,278 9

8,033

69,860

74,380

79,813

97,890

100,958

116,218

125

,958

126

,210

98,045

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

110,000

120,000

130,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

#ofMarijuanaPossessionArrests #ofPoliceHours(Arrestsx2.5hours)

OneMillion

Police

HoursMaking440,000MarijuanaPossessionArrests

InNewYorkCity,20022012

Preparedby HarryLevine,LorenSiegel,andGabrielSayegh forthe DrugPolicyAllianceandtheMarijuanaArrestResearchProject,March2013.Source:NewYorkStateDivisionofCriminalJusticeServices


2/16

2

OneMillionPoliceHours:Making440,000MarijuanaPossessionArrestsinNewYorkCity,20022012________________________________________________________________________________PoliceHoursMembers

of

the

New

York

City

Council

and

the

New

York

State

Legislature

asked

us

to

determinehowmanyhoursNewYorkCitypoliceofficershavespentmakinghundredsof

thousandsoflowestlevelmarijuanapossessionarrests.Thisisnecessarilyarangefromlower

tohigherbecausethenumberofofficersinvolvedinasinglearrestvaries,andthetimeeach

spendsvariesconsiderably.

InourongoingresearchaboutmarijuanapossessionarrestsinNewYork,1wehavefoundthata

basicmisdemeanorarrestformarijuanapossessioninNewYorkCityvariedfromaminimumof

twoorthreehoursforoneofficer,tofourorfivehoursorevenlongerformultipleofficers.

Duringthistimetheofficersreturnedtothepolicestationwiththehandcuffedarresteesand

bookedthem;theytookphotographsandfingerprints,gathered otherinformationandwroteit

up.Theysentthepersonaldatatobecheckedagainstthestate'scriminaldatabasesandoften

waitedto

receive

the

arrestees'

criminal

records,

if

the

database

searches

found

any.

Arresting

officersregularlytooksuspectstothecentralbookingjail,wereinterviewedbyassistantdistrict

attorneys,andappearedincourt.

Foraverylowandconservativeestimate,weusedtwoandahalfhoursasaminimumaverage

amountoftimeoneofficerspendsmakingamarijuanapossessionarrest.Wemultiplied2.5

hoursbythenumberoflowestlevelmarijuanapossessionarrests(chargedunderNYSPenal

Law221.10)foreachyearsince2002whenMayorBloombergtookoffice.

Thefrontcoverofthisreportshowsagraphwiththenumberofmarijuanaarrestsforeachyear

from2002through2012.InthoseelevenyearstheNYPDmadeatotalof439,056possession

onlyarrests.Multipliedbytwoandahalfhoursofpolicetimeperarrestthatequals1,097,640

hoursorapproximatelyonemillionhoursofpoliceofficertimetomake440,000marijuana

possessionarrests.Thatistheequivalentofhaving31policeofficersworkingeighthoursaday,365daysayear,for11years,makingonlymarijuanapossessionarrests.Doublingthetimetooneofficerforfivehours,ortwoofficersfortwoandhalfhourseach,

equalstwomillionhoursofpolicetimetomakethe440,000arrests.Twoofficersforfivehours

equalsfourmillionhoursofpolicetime.Thisdoesnotincludethetimespentbypolice

supervisorsorbycorrections,court,andprosecutorstaff,northetimeofficersspentsearching

forpeopletoarrest.

Evenattheminimumofonemillionpoliceofficerhoursforthe440,000arrests,itisclearthat

themarijuanaarrestshavetakenpoliceoffthestreetandawayfromothercrimefighting

activitiesforasignificantamountoftime.

CostofMarijuanaArrestsSeveralyearsago,inresponsetorequestsfrommembersoftheNewYorkCityCouncilandthe

StateLegislature,weresearchedthecriminaljusticesystemcostsofNewYorkCity'smarijuana

possessionarrests.Thequestionwas:HowmuchhaveNewYorktaxpayersbeenpayingto

makethesearrests?InMarch,2011,wepresentedourfindingsinareport:"$75MillionAYear:TheCostofNewYorkCity'sMarijuanaPossessionArrests."2Itsprincipalfindingswere:


3/16

3

1)Overthelast15years,asinglearrestformarijuanapossession,includingallpoliceandcourt

expenses,hascostfrom$1,000to$2,000ormore,conservativelyestimated.Thiscoversall

policetimeincludingovertimepayforarrestingofficersandsupervisors,allprearraignmentjail

costsandallcourtandprosecutorexpenses.

2)In2010,NewYorkCityspent$75millionormorearrestingandjailingmostlyyoungpeople

simplyforpossessingsmallamountsofmarijuana.

3)From

1997

through

2010

the

NYPD

made

536,000

arrests

for

marijuana

possession.

This

has

costtaxpayers$500milliontoover$1billion.

Thereportreceivedconsiderablemediacoverage;ourestimateswerealmostcertainlylowand

haveneverbeencontested.TheeconomicscolumnistfortheNewYorkTimesdrewuponour

research,andGovernorCuomocitedourfindingsinhisStateoftheStatereportin2013.Our

reportsuggestedthattheNYPD'smarijuanapossessionarrestcrusadewasnotasensibleuseof

valuablepoliceandcityresources.

Responsestothe440,000MarijuanaPossessionArrests

Inthenextsectionwehavearrangedexcerptsfromnumerousprominentpublicationsexposing

NewYorkCity'smarijuanapossessionarrests.Theexcerptscoversixyearsinchronological

orderwithahyperlinktoeacharticleintheendnotes.Asevenaquickreviewwillreveal,many

journalists,editorialboards,publicofficials,lawenforcementprofessionals,andpublic

advocateshavearticulatelyandofteneloquentlydrawnattentiontothearrestsandtheircosts,

harmfulconsequences,wastefulness,andextremeracialbias.WeagreewithGovernorCuomo

whosaidinhis2013StateoftheStateaddress:"Thesearrestsstigmatize,theycriminalize,they

createapermanentrecord.It'snotfair,it'snotright,itmustend,anditmustendnow."

_______________

NOTE:Wehavealsographedthenumberofhoursthepeoplearrestedhavespentinpolicecustody.

Professionalsinthecriminaljusticesystemreportthatmostpeoplearrestedspendupto24hoursin

custody.Wetooktheconservativefigureof12hourstoconstructthefollowinggraph.Fortheyears2002

through2012,

at

an

average

detention

of

only

12

hours

per

arrest

(almost

certainly

low),

the

people

the

NYPDarrestedspentoverfivemillionhoursincustody.At18hoursforanarrest,thatequalsnearlyeight

millionhoursinpolicecustodyforthemostlyblackandLatinoyoungpeoplearrested.

529,332

470,5

56 335,328

357,024

3

83,100

469,8

72

484,59

6

557,844

604,596

605,808 4

70,6

16

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

#ofHoursMarijuanaPossessionArresteesSpentinPoliceCustody

(440,000ofArrestsx12Hoursincustody=5MillionHoursinCustody)


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4

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BernardHarcourtandJensLudwig,UniversityofChicagoLawSchool,20073

WefindnogoodevidencethattheMPV[marijuanainpublicview]arrestsareassociatedwithreductions

inseriousviolentorpropertycrimesinthecity.AsaresultNewYorkCitysmarijuanapolicingstrategy

seemslikelytosimplydivertscarcepoliceresourcesawayfrommoreeffectiveapproachesthatresearch

suggestsiscapableofreducingrealcrime....

Thispolicingstrategyfocusedonmisdemeanor[marijuanainpublicview]arrestsishavingexactlythe

wrongeffectonseriouscrimeincreasingit,ratherthandecreasingit....[NewYorkCitys]experiment

withmisdemeanor[marijuanainpublicview]arrestsalongwithalltheassociateddetentions,

convictions,andadditionalincarcerationsrepresentsatremendouslyexpensivepolicingintervention....

[Themarijuana

arrest

policy]

had

asignificant

disparate

impact

on

African

American

and

Hispanic

residents.Ourstudyfurthershowsthatthereisnogoodevidencethatitcontributedtocombating

seriouscrimeinthecity.Ifanything,ithashadthereverseeffect.Asaresult,theNYPDpolicyof

misdemeanorMPVarrestsrepresentsanextremelypoortradeoffofscarcelawenforcementresources.

HarryG.LevineandDeborahPetersonSmall,MarijuanaArrestCrusade,NYCLU,April20084

HarcourtandLudwigsstudyisinaccordwiththeobservationsofpatrolofficersweinterviewedinNew

Yorkandothercities.Theseexperiencedpoliceofficerspointoutthatwhenofficersspendseveralhours

arrestingandbookingteenagersandyoungadultssimplyforpossessingmarijuana,theyareoffthestreet

unabletoengageinotherpolicework.Likewise,narcoticssquadssearchingforandarrestingpeople

possessingsmallamountsofmarijuanaarenotavailableforothercrimefightingwork.Indescribing

thesemarijuanaarrests,anumberofpoliceofficersusedexactlythesamephrase,callingthemawaste

oftime....

InthisreportwerefertowhatishappeninginNewYorkCityasamarijuanaarrestcrusadetohighlight

themassive,organized,evenrelentlesspursuitofthesearrestsundertwomayorsandthreepolice

commissionersforovertenyears.Butthetermcrusadedoesnotcaptureotherimportantcharacteristics

ofthesemarijuanapossessionarrestsincludingtheirracialbias,genderbias,costliness,andother

harmfuleffectstoNewYorkCityandespeciallytoBlackandLatinoyoungpeopleandtheirfamilies.

ItislongpasttimeforthepeopleofNewYorkCitytoknowaboutandaddresswhatitspolice

departmentandcriminaljusticesystemhavebeendoinginthisandothermatters.Andothercitiesand

countiesintheU.S.canlearnmuchfromNewYorksmarijuanapossessionarrestpolicyaboutwhatnot

todo.

Anthony

V.

Bouza,

Former

Chief

Of

Police

Of

Minneapolis,

Former

NYPD

Commander

In

The

Bronx,AuthorOfThePoliceMystique,May20085

NewYorkCityscurrentmarijuanaarrestsareexactlyanalogoustotheroundupofgaysinthe1950sand

1960sthatMayorLindsaystopped.Andtheoffensesrepresentexactlythesamelevelofrisktothe

public.Makingmarijuanaarrestsapriorityisawasteofpoliceresourcesanddoesnotreducestreet

violence.Illegal,trivial,meaninglessarrestsundermineconfidenceinthejusticesystemandcorruptthe

enforcers.NewYorksmarijuanaarrestsarecounterproductive,aclassicmisapplicationofpolice

resources.

ResponsesToNewYorkCity's440,000Marijuana

PossessionArrests,20022012,(andtoTheirCosts,Wastefulness,Consequences,andRacialDisparities)


5/16

5

NewYorkMagazine,MarcJacobson,"TheSplittingImageofPot,"Sept21,20096

Ontheonehand,marijuanaispracticallylegal moremainstream,accessorized,andtakenforgranted

thaneverbefore.Ontheother,kidsaregettingbustedinthecityinrecordnumbers.Guesswhichkids.

JimDwyer,NYTimes,"WhitesSmokePot,butBlacksAreArrested,"December22,20097

OutsideamusicclubonGreenwichStreetinSoHo,thebouncerssmokejointsastheycheckinthe

arrivingcustomers.AyounggraphicartistroutinelystrollsthroughChelsea,jointinhand....ButtheSoHo

bouncersandtheChelseagraphicartistdonthavemuchtoworryabout,atleastfromthepolice:theyarewhite.Eventhoughsurveysshowtheyarepartofthedemographicgroupthatmakestheheaviestuse

ofpot,whitepeopleinNewYorkaretheleastlikelytobearrestedforit.Lastyear,blackNewYorkers

wereseventimesmorelikelythanwhitestobearrestedformarijuanapossessionandnomoreserious

crime.Latinoswerefourtimesmorelikely....

ThehandfulofwhitepotsmokerswhodogetarrestedcanbefoundincourtonMondaysandTuesdays,

whentheymustanswerticketstypicallyissuedforsmokingpotinapark.Therestoftheweekistakenup

withblacksandLatinos,whoaremorelikelytohavespentanightinjailbeforecourt,saidEdward

McCarthy,alawyerfortheLegalAidSociety.

Someofthepoliceofficers,whoareatthestartoftheircareers,areapologeticwhentheymakethese

arrests,Mr.McCarthysaid.Theysay,ifmylieutenantorsergeantwerenthere,Idletyougo.

CharlesBlow,"SmokeandHorrors,"NYTimesColumnist,Oct.22,20108

Thewarondrugsinthiscountryhasbecomeawarfocusedonmarijuana,onebeingwagedprimarily

againstminoritiesandpromoted,fueledandfinancedprimarilybyDemocraticpoliticians....

YoungpoliceofficersarefunneledintolowincomeblackandHispanicneighborhoodswheretheyare

encouragedtoaggressivelystopandfriskyoungmen.Andifyoulookforsomething,youllfindit.Sothey

findsomeoftheseyoungpeoplewithsmallamountsofdrugs.Thentheseyoungpeoplearearrested.The

officerswillgetexperienceprocessingarrestsandwilllikelygettofileovertime...andthepolicechiefswill

getameasureofproductivityfromtheirofficers.Theyoungmenwhowerearrestedaresimplypawns.

WhywouldDemocratssupportaprogramthathassuchadeleteriouseffectontheirmostloyal

constituencies?Itis,inpart,callouspoliticalcalculus.Itsaneasyandrelativelycheapwayforthemto

buyatough

on

crime

badge

while

simultaneously

pleasing

police

unions.

The

fact

that

they

are

ruining

thelivesofhundredsofthousandsofblackandHispanicmenand,byextension,thecommunitiesthey

belongtobarelyseemstoregister.

ThisisoutrageousandimmoralandtheDemocratscomplicityisunconscionable,particularlyforaparty

thatlikestopromoteitssocialjusticebonafides.Nooneknowsalltherepercussions oflegalizing

marijuana,butitisclearthatcriminalizingithasmadeitaliferuiningracialweapon.Whenwill

politicianshavethecouragetostandup,acknowledgethisfactandstopallowingyoungminoritymento

becollateraldamage.

JesseLevine,HuffingtonPost,"Bloomberg'sReeferMadness,"March15,20119

In2010NewYorkCityspent$75millionarrestingpeopleforpossessingsmallamountsofmarijuana....

Eacharrest

costs

at

least

$1,000

to

$2,000

(conservatively

estimated),

and

in

2010

the

NYPD

made

nearly

1,000arrestsaweek.The50,383peoplearrestedformarijuanain2010wereallfingerprinted,

photographed,andmostspent24hoursormoreinjail.Inallcases,marijuanapossessionwasthehighest

chargeortheonlycharge.

MayorBloomberghasfamouslyadmittedtosmokingmarijuanaandenjoyingit.YetonBloomberg's

watchthepolicehavearrestedmorepeopleforpossessingmarijuanathanthelastthreemayors

combined.SinceBloombergwaselectedin2002,theNYPDhasarrested350,000peopleforpossessing

lessthan7/8ofanounceofmarijuanaatacosttotaxpayersof$500millionto$1billionormore.

TheNYPDarrests50,000peopleayeartoconfiscate50,000jointsorsmallbagsandspends$75millionto

doit.ItseemsfairtosaythatMichaelBloomberghascreatedhisveryownReeferMadness.


6/16

6

AilsaChang,WNYCNews,"AllegedIllegalSearchesbyNYPDMayBeIncreasingMarijuana

Arrests,"April26,201110

Policearrest140peopleeverydayinNewYorkCityforpossessingsmallamountsofmarijuana.It'snow

byfarthemostcommonmisdemeanorchargeinthecity,andthousandsofthesearreststakeplacewhen

policestopandfriskyoungmeninthepoorestneighborhoods.Whilepolicesaythesestopandfrisksare

a

way

to

find

guns,

what

they

find

more

often

is

a

bag

of

marijuana.

AninvestigationbyWNYCsuggeststhatsomepoliceofficersmaybeviolatingpeoplesconstitutional

rightswhentheyaremakingmarijuanaarrests.Currentandformercops,defenselawyersandmorethan

adozenmenarrestedforthelowestlevelmarijuanapossessionsayillegalsearchestakeplaceduring

stopandfrisks,whicharestreetencounterscarriedoutoverwhelminglyonblacksandLatinos.

[AilsaChangwonaDupontAwardforherinvestigativereportingontheillegalsearchesinthemarijuana

possessionarrests]

NewYorkObserver,ByAziPaybarah,"CriticsofMarijuanaArrestsMakeanEconomics

Argument,"May5,201111

NewYorkCityCouncilmembersLetitiaJames,MelissaMarkViveritoandJumaaneWilliamsjoined

protestersthis

morning

who

gathered

on

5th

Avenue

and

79th

Street

the

corner

where

Mayor

BloombergstownhouseislocatedtoprotestthecitysrecordofarrestingmostlyAfricanAmerican

andLatinopeopleforminordrugoffenses.Theytriedconnectingthecitysworseningeconomywiththe

expensesthecityispayingtobustpeopleforrelativelylowlevelcriminality.

MelissaMarkViverito:Duringthesetougheconomictimes,whenwearecontemplatingseverecutsto

basicmunicipalandhumanservicesthe$75millionwespendonmarijuanaarrestseachyearshouldbe

amongthefirstplaceswelookforsavings.

JumaaneWilliams:Wewastedbetween$50$100millionalonelastyeararrestingindividualsforlow

levelmarijuanaviolations,allatatimewheretheMayorproposescuttingessentialservicestoour

childrenandseniors.

LetitiaJames:Ouryouthalreadyhavetoworryaboutthelackofavailablejobs,whichisdifficult

enough,the

last

thing

they

need

is

to

be

victims

of

illegal

searches.

KristenGynne,"IsNYCtheMarijuanaArrestCapitaloftheWorld?Alternet,May27,201112

MichaelBloomberghasmadeNewYorkCityTheMarijuanaArrestCapitoloftheWorldthroughhis

supportofillegaltacticswhichallowcopstostopandfriskanyonetheyseefit.OnWednesday,May25,a

broadcoalitionofsocialadvocacygroups,supportersandCityCouncilmemberscongregatedaroundthe

cornerfromtheMayorsUpperEastSidetodeliverhimamockawardforhisefforts....

OrganizerscalledoutBloombergshypocrisy,notingthatwhenBloombergranforMayorin2001,he

admittedtohavingsmokedandenjoyedmarijuana,butcontinuestosupportusingloopholesinthestop

andfrisklawtoorchestratemassarrestsofyoungpeopleofcolorforsmallamountsofmarijuana.

Under

Mayor

Bloomberg,

marijuana

arrests

have

surpassed

those

under

Mayors

Koch,

Dinkins,

and

Giulianicombined.Despiteatightbudgetandthestrippingoffederallyfundedsocialprogramsand

education,thecitypumped$75millionintoarrestingmorethan50,000peopleforsmallamountsof

marijuanalastyear.

SpokesmanfortheDrugPolicyAllianceTonyNewmancalledthearrestsanumbersgamethatallows

officerstoclockinovertimeandmakeeasy,lowlevelarreststoaddtothewarondrugstatistics.


7/16

7

JimDwyer,"SideEffectsofArrestsforMarijuana,"NYTimes,June16,201113

Onaveragelastyear,someonewasarrestedevery10minutesinNewYorkCityforpossessingafew

pinchesofmarijuanalessthan25gramsandnoothercrime.Morearrests,50,383,weremadein

2010onthischargethanonanyother,andarrestsarebeingmadeatanevenfasterpacethisyear.

"Theyrecloggingthecourtsandruiningpeopleslives,intermsofpotentialcollateralconsequencesfor

housing,employment,immigration,"saidStevenBanks,theattorneyinchiefoftheLegalAidSociety,

whichrepresented30,000peopleinminormarijuanacaseslastyear....

Testingoften

showed

marijuana

in

the

urine

of

people

arrested

in

New

York

City,

[an

aid

to

Mayor

Bloomberg]said:"Thedatashowsaninextricablelinkbetweendrugsandcrime,andmarijuanaisthe

mostprevalentdrugusedbycriminals."Wouldntthosesameurinetests,conductednotinjailsbutin

betteroffneighborhoods,showinextricablelinksbetweenpotandbankingorthelaworacademia?

Orevenpolitics.

NewYorkDailyNewsEditorial,Sept.29,201114

Inanalltootypicalsituation,copsstopayoungmanforquestioningandpossiblysubjecthimtoafrisk.

Whentheyaskhimtoemptyhispockets,heproducesasmallbagofmarijuana.Copsbusthimforthe

misdemeanoroffenseofpossessinglessthan25gramsofthedruginpublicview.Theinjusticeisobvious.

Thesubjectinquestionbroughtthepotintopublicview,committingthemisdemeanor,onlybecausehe

hadbeen

ordered

to

do

so

by

the

police.

Otherwise,

he

would

have

been

guilty

only

of

anoncriminal

possessionviolation,meritingtheequivalentofatrafficticket....Thedepartmentmakessome50,000

arrestsforpotpossessionannually,anunknownnumberofwhichhappenafterpoliceorderpeopleto

revealwhattheyarecarryingontheirpersons.

StevenThrasher,TheVillageVoice,Sept21,201115

Theprospectthat"youngmenofcolor,whoarehyperpolicedinthiscity"areactuallywalkingaroundin

largegroupssmokingpotinopenviewisabsurd.Soisthenotionthatpoorblackmalessmokepotmore

thanricher,palermenandwomen.Butstill,theygetdisproportionatelyarrestedbecause,underMayor

BloombergandPoliceCommissionerRayKelly,theNYPDusescontroversialUF250s"stopandfrisks"

onthematarecordsettingpace....

"I'mapolice

officer,

Icome

up

to

you,"

[Cassandra]

Frederique

explains

as

if

she

were

acop

approaching

ayoungmaninEastNewYork."'Whatareyoudoing?What'sinyourpockets?Pullitout.'Onceyoupull

itout,itbecomes'marijuanainplainview.'Andthat'swhentheyarrestyou."

StevenWishnia,Alternet,Dec30,201116

Tobeprosecutedformarijuanainpublicview,explainsOdalysAlonzo,chiefassistanttoBronxDistrict

AttorneyRobertJohnson,thedefendanthastobeobservedeithersmokinginpublicordisplayinga

glassineorplasticpackagethatpolicerecognizeasmarijuana.Sometimes,weseethreepeoplecharged

foronejoint,becauseweveseenthempassingajoint,shesays....

ThebiggestchangesinceKellysannouncement,[Scott]Levy[oftheBronxDefenders]suspects,maybein

howcomplaintsarephrased.Police,hesays,areincreasinglyreportingthattheysawadefendanttake

an

object

and

put

it

in

their

pocket

and

then

found

it

to

be

marijuana

when

they

searched

them,

but

ourclientsaresayingthattheyneverhaditout.

JoshuaSaunders,astaffattorneyattheBrooklynDefendersSociety,anotherpublicdefendergroup,says

hesseenalotofdropsycases,inwhichpolicesaytheysawthedefendantdropthemarijuanaonthe

ground.HepointsoutthepolicereportofamanbustedforthreebagsofpotintheBrownsville

neighborhoodinNovember.Itsaystheofficerobservedthemanonthesidewalkinfrontofabodegain

possessionofaquantityofmarihuanawhichwasopentopublicviewandwhichinformantrecovered

fromdefendantspantspocket.Saunderswondersifthemanhadtransparentpants.


8/16

8

JenniferPeltz,AssociatedPress,Feb.1,201217

"Ourclientsarestillregularlystopped,searched,andmarijuanaisrecoveredfromtheirpocket,butatno

pointwheretheyhavingitout,smokingit,"[ScottD.LevyoftheBronxDefenders]said.Butmosttakea

dismissaldealorpleadguiltytoaviolation,ratherthandemandahearingthatgenerallycomesafter

monthsofcourtdatesandprolongsacasethatcancompromisejobprospects,hesaid."Sothevast

majorityofcasesarepleadingoutbeforeahearingiseverheldandtheseissuesarereallyaired,"Levy

said....

"NewYork

remains

in

afiscal

crisis,

and

we

simply

cannot

afford

to

arrest

tens

of

thousands

of

otherwise

lawabidingcitizensforpossessingsmallamountsofmarijuana especiallywhensomanyofthesearrests

aretheresultofillegalsearchesorfalsecharges,"Sen.MarkGrisantisaidinastatementWednesday.The

Republican,who'sacriminaldefenselawyer,issponsoringtheproposalwithDemocraticAssemblyman

HakeemJeffries.

It'sdifficulttoputapricetagonthecity'sarrests,butLevinehasestimateditcostanestimated$75

millionin2011toprocess,jailandprosecutethelowlevelarrestsinNewYork.Thatfigurewasa

compilationofestimatedcourtcosts,policemanpowerandjailtime,averagingabout$1,500perarrest

acostsharedbythestateandcity.

GabrielSayegh,Alternet.Feb.4,201218

SinceMichael

Bloomberg

became

mayor

adecade

ago,

the

NYPD

has

made

more

than

400,000

lowest

levelmarijuanapossessionarrestsatacostof$600milliondollars.Nearly350,000ofthosearrestedfor

marijuanapossessionunderBloombergareyoungBlackandLatinomeneventhoughyoungwhitesuse

marijuanaathigherrates.

ItisworthrememberingandpointingoutthatU.S.governmentstudiesconsistentlyfindthatyoung

whitesusemarijuanaathigherratesthanyoungBlacksandLatinos,saidQueensCollegeprofessorHarry

Levine.Butthepolicepatrols,stopandfrisks,andarrestquotasarehighestinBlackandLatino

neighborhoods,andthatiswheretheNYPDmakesmostmarijuanapossessionarrests.MayorBloomberg

isliketheEnergizerbunnyofmarijuanaarrestshejustkeepsgoingandgoingandgoing.

AliceBrennanandMichaelKeller,NewYorkWorldMarch30,201219

Six

months

after

New

York

City

Police

Commissioner

Ray

Kelly

ordered

all

police

officers

under

his

commandtoceasearrestingpeoplecarryingmarijuana,manyarestillbeinghandcuffedandsenttojail

afterofficerscoerceortrickthemintodisplayingthedrug.Thatstheconclusionofaclosereviewof517

casesbyBronxDefenders,acriminaldefenseandlegaladvocacyorganization,whichfoundthatnearly

halfofthosepickedupforsmallamountsofmarijuanapossessioninrecentmonthswerenotdisplaying

thedrugbeforetheywerestopped.ScottLevy,anattorneyattheBronxDefenders,thelegaland

advocacyorganizationthatledthesurvey,said:Thisisclearlyanillegalpractice"....

BrentStaples,NYTimesEditorialBoard,"TheHumanCostofZeroTolerance,"April18,201220

Millionsofpeoplehavebeenarrestedunderthepolicyforminorviolations,likepossessionofsmall

amountsofmarijuana.Andonethingisbeyonddispute:thisarrestfirstpolicyhasfilledthecourtsto

burstingwithfirsttime,minoroffenderswhodonotbelongthereandwreakedhavocwithpeopleslives.

Evenwhen

cases

are

dismissed,

people

can

be

shadowed

for

years

by

error

ridden

criminal

records....

NewYorkCitysoverlyzealousmarijuanaarrests,coupledwiththeunreliabilityandporousnessof

recordkeeping,damagethelivesoftensofthousandsofpeopleayear.TheLegislatureneedstofixthis.

Itmustdropthepublicdisplaydistinctionformarijuana,whichinvitesfartoomanyabuses.Itshouldalso

presslawenforcementofficialsandthecourtsystemtomakesurethatcriminalrecordsaremore

accuratetostartwithandthatpeoplewhoarevictimizedbyerrorshaveaplausiblewayofgettingthem

corrected.Employersandgovernmentagenciesalsohavearesponsibilityhere.Theymustnotrushto

theirownjudgmentaboutminoroffenders....

Thepoliceneedtospendmoretimetrackingdownseriouscrimeandlessonminoroffenses.Thereis

nothingminoraboutarecordthatcanfollowpeoplefortherestoftheirlives.


9/16

9

SheldonSilver,Speaker,NYStateAssembly,GovernorCuomoPressConference,June4,2012WhattheGovernorisproposingthisafternoonisalogicalandunfortunatelynecessaryclarificationofthe

lawasitexiststoday.Itisandhasalwaysbeentheintentofthelegislaturetomakepossessionofless

than25gramsofmarijuanaaviolationandnotacrime...

HakeemJeffries,NYAssemblyMemberandnowCongressman,GovernorCuomo'sPress

Conference,Albany,

June

4,

2012

Theoverwhelmingmajorityofpeoplewhohavebeenarrestedasaresultofthewaythestatuteis

currentlywrittencomefromtheblackandLatinocommunity.Eventhoughstatisticsandstudies

consistentlyshowthatmarijuanapossessionanduseisfarmoreraciallydiverse.Infactsomestudiesthat

haveshownthataffluentyoungerwhitesusemarijuanainequalifnotgreaternumbers....

Thepossessionofsmallquantitiesofmarijuanaiseitheracrimeoritsnotbutitcannotbecriminal

behaviorforonegroupofpeopleandsociallyacceptablebehaviorforanothergroupofpeoplewhenthe

dividinglineisrace.

ManhattanDistrictAttorneyCyrusVance,MarijuanaLawReformTestimony,June4,201221

Halfoftheseindividuals[chargedwithopentopublicviewcriminalpossessionofmarijuanain

Manhattan]had

never

been

arrested

before,

and

approximately

46

percent

were

16

to

24

years

of

age.

Manyofthesedefendantswereheldinjailbeforetheywerearraignedbeforeajudge,acold

introductiontothecriminaljusticesystem....

Thehumancoststoeachoneofthosepeopleandtheirfamiliesisserious,anditisreal.Itcouldaffectan

individualsabilitytosecureajoborreceiveadmissionintoanacademicortrainingprogram.The

consequences ofthiscanbedevastatingforayoungmanorwomanstartingoutinlife.Itcanalsoimpose

afinancialburdenonsomeoneforcedtomissdaysofworktoappearincourt.

Furthermore,thedrainofresourcesinourofficeandtheNYPDtoprocessthose...casesissignificant.The

proposedlawwillallowustoredirectresourcesawayfromprocessingpeoplechargedwithsimplelow

levelpossessionofmarijuanaandusethosevaluableresourcestofightviolentcrimes,tomakeallofour

communitiessafer.Thisisjustanapplicationofcommonsenseandfundamentalfairness.

GovernorCuomo,PressConference,Albany,June4,2012SpeakerSilverandtheAssemblythatorchestratedaconversationandtheroundtablestoheightenthe

attentiononthisissue.TheDistrictAttorneys,CyVanceandalltheNewYorkCitydistrictattorneys...

RichardBrown,JoeHines,DanDonovancouldntbewithustodaybuttheyalsosupportthisproposal.I

wanttothankMayorBloombergforhissupport;PBApresidentPatLynchalsosupportsit,aswellasthe

DrugPolicyAlliance,NYCLU,LegalActionCenter,BarAssociationandBronxDefenders.Iamhopefulfor

passage.

NewYorkTimesEditorial,June4,201222

Publicdefendershaverepeatedlychargedthatthepoliceareentrappingyoungpeople,stoppingthemfor

nocauseandthenrequiringthemtoemptytheirpocketstobringtheirmarijuanaintopublicview.And

formerpoliceofficersnowspeakopenlyofbeingpressuredtodriveuptheirarrestrates....

TheLegislatureshouldtakeupMr.Cuomosproposalandpassitswiftly.Peoplewithminorconvictions

canbedeniedpublichousingandfederalstudentaidandwrittenoffbyprospectiveemployers.The

numbersforthestopandfriskprogramareevenmoredisturbing700,000lastyear,about85percent

ofthoseinvolvingblacksandHispanics,whomakeupabouthalfthecityspopulation.Decriminalizing

publicpossessionofsmallamountsofmarijuanawilladdressonlypartofthatproblem.Forthesakeof

fairnessandpublicsafety,thestopandfriskprogram,whichbreedsfearanddistrustofthepolicein

minorityneighborhoods,mustbereformed.


10/16

10

AilsaChang,PoliceDesk,WNYC,June5,201223

TheWNYCinvestigationfoundtheproblemwasn'tthatmarijuanawasagainstthelawitwashowthe

policewereallegedlycarryingoutthelaw.Morethanadozenmenfromthemostheavilypoliced

precinctstoldWNYCtheywerearrestedfordisplayingmarijuanainpublicviewwhentheirmarijuana

wasactuallyhiddenintheirclothes.Theyclaimedduringastopandfrisk,policeeitherorderedthemto

emptytheirpocketsorpulledthemarijuanaoutthemselvesbeforearrestingthem.

CuomotouchedontheissueatMondaysannouncement."Ifyoupossessmarijuanaprivatelyitsa

violation,if

you

show

it

in

public

its

acrime,"

Cuomo

said.

"Its

incongruous,

its

inconsistent

the

way

its

beenenforced."

BillHammond,NewYorkDailyNewsColumnist,June5,201224

Cuomosplantodecriminalizepublicpossessionofsmallamountsofpotistheoppositeofdopey.Its

smartpolicyandsmartpoliticsatthesametime.ThefactthattheNYPDarrestsmorethan50,000people

ayearfordoingsomethingthatpracticallyeveryoneundertheageof60hasatleasttriedandknows

fullwelltobenomoredangerousthanalcohol,andprobablylesssoisbeyondridiculous....

Cuomohimselfhasacknowledgedsmokingmarijuana'inmyyouth.'Whenaskedduringhisfirstmayoral

campaignifhehadtriedpot,Bloombergsaid:'YoubetIdid.AndIenjoyedit.'Accordingtoanew

biographyofPresidentObamabyDavidMaraniss,thefutureleaderofthefreeworldandhisfriends

madeapointofclosingthecarwindowswhentheytokedup,sotheycouldtilttheirheadsbackandtake

'roofhits'whenthejointwasfinished.Yetnoneoftheselawbreakerswascaught.Sononegotturned

downforajoborforfeitedastudentloanor,mosttragicallyofall,lostcustodyoftheirchildrenallof

whichcananddohappentothemostlyyoung,mostlyblackandbrownNewYorkerssweptupinthe

citysmoderndayreefermadness.

CompoundingtheinjusticeisthefactthatNewYorksupposedlydecriminalizedmarijuana35yearsago

whentheLegislaturedowngradedprivatepossessionofupto25grams,or7/8ofanounce,toamere

violation,theequivalentofatrafficticket.Arrestingpeopleoverpot'needlesslyscarsthousandsoflives

andwastesmillionsofdollarsinlawenforcementresources,whiledetractingfromtheprosecutionof

seriouscrime,'lawmakersdeclaredatthetime....Cuomoisachievingaprogressivegoalinawaythat

getsgovernmentoutofpeopleslives.Ourcaloriecountingmayorcouldlearnathingortwo."

HeatherMacDonald,ManhattanInstituteandCityJournal,June7,201225

Losingtheopportunitytomakearrestsforpublicpossessionofsmallamountsofmarijuanaisworththe

demolitionofoneofthemoreubiquitouscanardsagainstthestopandfriskprogramthatitisbeing

deliberatelyabusedtoarrestminorities.AndthedecriminalizationlawmayevenimprovetheNYPDs

abilitytopolicehighcrimeareas....Thetimeofficerssavebynothavingtogotocourtforanarrestcould

increasepatrolpresenceonthestreetandfreethemupforadditionalenforcementactivity.

WendyRuderman&JosephGoldstein,PoliceReporters,NYYorkTimes,June22,201226

LegalAidlawyersbroughtthesuitonbehalfoffiveNewYorkerswho,theysay,werevictimsof"gotcha"

policetactics.ThefivemenwereallarrestedsincemidApril,fourinBrooklynandoneonStatenIsland;

theywere

charged

with

misdemeanor

possession

after

small

amounts

of

marijuana

were

found

on

them

duringpolicestops.Ineachcase,themarijuanabecamevisibleonlyafterofficerssearchedthemenor

askedthemtoemptytheirpockets,thesuitsays."ThesefiveindividualsareNewYorkerswhowere

essentiallyvictimizedbyunlawfulpolicepractices,"

Mr.Bankssaid."Thelawsuitisaimedatstoppingaperniciouspolicepractice,whichisharming

thousandsofNewYorkersayearandcloggingupthecourtsystemwithoneoutofsevencriminalcases

anddivertingresourcesandattentionfrommoreseriouscriminalmatters."


11/16

11

FormerMayorEdKoch,HuffingtonPost,June26.201227

AgreatinjusticeisbeingperpetratedbymembersoftheNewYorkCityPoliceDepartmentonthepeople

ofthiscity....Iurgeallfivedistrictattorneystopubliclystatethattheywillnotprosecuteanyonecharged

withmarijuanapossessionforpersonaluseotherthanforaviolation.

Thehideouspartofallofthisisthatstudiesshowthatwhitesarethegreaterusersofmarijuana,not

blacksorHispanics.ItisblackandHispanicyouthswhoarebeingarrestedandendupwithcriminal

records,destroyingmanyoftheiralreadylimitedopportunitiesforgettingjobsandachievingabetter

life.This

is

unacceptable

in

asociety

that

believes

it

is

devoted

to

justice

and

fairness.

EduardPorter,EconomicsandBusinessColumnist,NewYorkTimes,July3,201228

Processingeachoftheroughly85,000arrestsfordrugmisdemeanorsinNewYorkCitylastyearcostthe

city$1,500to$2,000.Andthatisjustthecosttothebudget.HundredsofthousandsofAmericans,mostly

blackandpoor,areunabletogetajob,acreditcardorevenanapartmenttorentbecauseofthelasting

stigmaofacriminalrecordforcarryinganounceofmarijuana.

NewYorkTimesEditorial,"AnIneffectiveWayToFightCrime,"Nov.22,201229

AlawsuitfiledbytheLegalAidSocietyinJuneandpendinginstatecourtmakesthecasethatthepolice

are

still

arresting

people

illegally

in

clear

violation

of

both

the

commissioners

directive

and

the

state

law.

Morethan50,000possessionarrestsweremadelastyear....

NowanewstudybyHumanRightsWatchfurtherdebunksthemainpremiseofNewYorkCitysbroken

windowslawenforcementcampaign,whichholdsthatclampingdownonsmalloffenseslikesimple

marijuanapossessionpreventsseriouscrimeandgetshardcorecriminalsoffthestreets.Thestudy

trackedabout30,000peoplearrestedformarijuanapossessionin20034noneofwhomhadprior

convictionsforperiodsofsixandahalftoeightandahalfyears.Thestudyfoundthataboutonly

1,000ofthemhadasubsequentviolentfelonyconviction.Somehadmisdemeanororfelonydrug

convictions,butmorethan90percentofthestudygrouphadnofelonyconvictionswhatsoever.

ThereportconcludedthatthePoliceDepartmentwassweepinglargenumbersofpeopleintoNewYork

Cityscriminaljusticesystemparticularlyyoungpeopleofcolorwhodonotsubsequentlyengagein

violentcrime.Thiswastesmillionsofdollarsandunfairlyputspeoplethroughthecriminalsystem....The

Legislaturecould

go

along

way

toward

ending

unfair

prosecutions

by

adopting

Gov.

Andrew

Cuomos

proposaltomakepublicdisplayofasmallamountofmarijuanaaviolation."

BobGangi,"TheNYPD'squotasystemforcesofficerstocrackdownontheverypeoplethey

aresupposedtoserveandprotect,"Alternet,Nov.30,201230

WhiletheharmfuleffectsoftheNYPDsstopandfrisktactichavereceivedthemostpublicattention,this

practicedoesnotrepresentthemostseriousproblemwithcurrentpolicingpolicyinNYC.Itisnotthetrue

darkheartofthebeast.Thathonorgoestoanagencywidequotasystemthatpolicebrassuseto

evaluatetheperformancesofofficersonthestreetandthatdrivesaharsh,aggressiveapproachtolaw

enforcement....EverydaytheCityspoliceengageinobjectionablepracticesthatwastegovernment

resourcesandthatresultinmore,ratherthanless,socialdisorder.

NYPD

officials

use

the

term

"productivity

goals"

as

a

poorly

veiled

euphemism

for

the

Department's

quotasystem,asathincoverforthepressureplacedonstreetofficerstomakeanexpectednumberof

arrests,ortoissueasufficientnumberofsummonses.Thedepartmentdeniesitsuseofsuchmeasures

becausetheyareillegalunderstatelaw,alawwhich,oversixyearsago,astatearbitratorconcludedthat

theNYPDhadviolated....

"IfIbreakupafightbetweentwoboysandsendthemhome,Idon'tgetcredit.IfIhelpdeliverababyin

anemergency,Igetnocredit.ButIscorepointsifIissueaseatbeltsummonsorrecordtwostopand

frisks"[saidoneofficer]....

WhenaNYPDrepresentative, aprecinctcaptainorlieutenant,directsofficerstosatisfyspecificnumerical

goalsregardingarrestsandsummonses,thendeploystheofficersinparticularneighborhoods...the


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12

subsequentindiscriminateticketing,falsearrests,illegalstopandfrisks,andotherharassment

techniquesundermineofficers'relationshipwithcommunitiesandresultinpolicingthatisunfairand

unsuccessful.Asaconsequence,ourcity'scitizensdonotfeelsafeintheirownneighborhoods,ontheir

ownstreets,orintheirownapartmentbuildings.....

PBAPresidentPatrickLynchstatedrecentlythatquotasare"ineffectiveinfightingcrimeandserveasa

tremendoussourceoffrictionwiththecommunitiesthatourmembersaresworntoprotect.Eliminating

unnecessaryandcounterproductivequotaswillallowpoliceofficerstokeepNewYorkCitysafewhile

winningback

the

support

of

its

citizens."

IssaKohlerHausmann,NewYorkDailyNews,"PotArrestsAreAllAboutTheNumbers."Dec.

10,201231

NewYorkCitysmarijuanaexceptionalismhaslittletodowithcontributingtopublicsafety....Astudyby

UniversityofChicagolawprofessorsshowedmarijuanaarrestswerenotassociatedwithdeclinesin

violentcrime....Nordothesearreststargetseriouscriminals....AnewHumanRightsWatchreportshows

themajorityofthecitysfirsttimemarijuanaarresteesin2003and2004werenotconvictedofanycrime

bythesummerof2011.Lessthan3.5%wentontoviolentfelonyconvictions....

Ifthereisnoevidencethesearrestsenhancepublicsafetyandtopcityofficialspubliclydisavow

supportingmassmarijuanaarrests,thenwhatcouldpossiblydrivemarijuanatobetheNo.1arrest

chargein

the

city

over

recent

years?....

Thereismountingevidencethatpatrolofficersfeelpressuretoissuesummonsesandmakemisdemeanor

arrestsjusttohittargets,irrespectiveofpublicsafetygoals....Withmorethan600,000streetstopsa

year,marijuanapossessionisafairlyeasymisdemeanorarresttoturnup,whichiswhytherearesomany

sucharrests.Theyserveonlytoburnishofficersnumbers,andlittleelse.Thepressuresofquantitative

managementcanpushgoodcopstodobadthings,likemakingconstitutionallyquestionablearrestsor

concentratingarrestactivityoncrimesthatdonotreflectourpublicsafetypriorities.

GovernorAndrewCuomo,StateoftheStateAddress,Jan.9,201332

Thesearrestsstigmatize,theycriminalize,theycreateapermanentrecord.It'snotfair,it'snot

right,itmustend,anditmustendnow.

NYRISING:2013NYStateoftheStateReport,GovernorAndrewM.Cuomo,p.10310433

Thenumberstellastory:overwhelmingly,youngpeopleofcolorarearrested,processedandthen

released.But,arresthasconsequences thatpersistafterrelease.Thereisthehumiliationofarrestand,in

somecases,detentionduringprocessing.Moreenduringisthestigmaofthecriminalrecordsthatcan

havelastinganddeleteriouseffectsontheyoungpersonsfuture.Adrugarrestcanhaveasignificant

impactonapersonslifeandkeydecisionsmadebyemployers,landlords,licensingboardsandbanks.

Themountingnumberofarrestswithoutconvictionsinthisareaisnotcostfreeforlawenforcementor

thepubliceither.Acostbenefitanalysis...examinedthecoststothepoliceandcourtsofeacharrest

approximately$764inpoliceand$336incourtcosts.Basedonthenumberofarrests,theanalysis

concludedthatitcostsapproximately$75millionayeartosupportthecurrentpractice.

Isit

worth

the

price?

Overwhelmingly,

the

answer

is

no:

not

worth

it

in

dollars,

in

stigma

or

in

impact.

EdithHonan,ReutersNewsService,Feb.14,201334

NewYorkCitypolicewillnolongerholdpeopleovernightforpossessingsmallamountsofmarijuana,and

thecitywillbackastateefforttotreatthosecasesasviolationsinsteadofmisdemeanors,MayorMichael

BloombergsaidonThursdayinhisfinalStateoftheCityaddress....Bloombergsaidheactednowsothat

feweryoungmenwillbesaddledwithacriminalrecord.Healsosaiditwouldallowpolicetobetteruse

resources....Evenso,theNewYorkCivilLibertiesUnionsaidNewYorkCityconductsmoremarijuana

arreststhananyothercity.


13/16

13

WallStreetJournal/AssociatedPress,February16,201335

Criticshavelongsaidthe[marijuanapossession]arrestsdolittleforpublicsafetybutinflictalotof

personalharm.Nowsomeofthestate'smostpowerfulpoliticiansaresayingso,too.

MayorMichaelBloombergannouncedinhisStateoftheCityaddressThursdaythatthecitywould

changehowithandlesthearreststosavepolicetimeandsparemanypeoplethelengthyprocessof

beingbooked

and

held

for

arraignment....

"You're

just

clogging

the

jails,

you're

clogging

the

courts,

you'recloggingthepoliceschedules,"[MayorBloomberg]addedonhisWORAMradioshowFriday....

BloombergandKellyarebackingCuomo'sproposaltodecriminalizepossessionofupto15gramsof

marijuanaevenifit'spubliclyvisible,aslongasit'snotbeingsmoked."Thesearrestsstigmatize,"Cuomo

saidinhisStateoftheStateaddress,notingthattheycanhurtpeople'schancesofgettingintocollegeor

landingjobs."It'snotfair.It'snotright"....NearlythreefifthsofNewYorkCityvotersfavortheconcept,

accordingtoaQuinnipiacUniversitypolllastJune.

NYDailyNewsEditorial/February18,201336

Filethisundersensibleandnotinevitable:MayorBloombergannouncedreformstospeedmisdemeanor

potbuststhroughthecriminaljusticesystem.Effectivenextmonth,themayorsaid,copswillnolonger

subjectsomeone

arrested

for

open

possession

of

marijuana

to

the

full

indignities

of

24

to

48

hours

in

aholdingcellbeforearraignmentinCriminalCourt....Meaning:Lesshassleforthepersonarrestedandless

burdenoncopsandcourts.

NewYorkStateisintheprocessofacknowledgingthatmarijuana,onitsown,isnotapressingpublic

safetymenacebutapublichealthproblem.Aspartofthatshift,Gov.Cuomomovedtodecriminalizethe

actofholdingsmallamountsinpublicview.Whilethatisntyetstatelaw,itmakesnosensetoputevery

lastmisdemeanormarijuanaarresteemostlyyoungblackandLatinomenthroughtheringer.

HarryG.Levine,"BuzzAboutNYCMayor'sMovetoReduceMarijuanaArrestsIsOverblown,"

Alternet,Feb15,201337

Theobviousquestionis:whyarethesepeoplebeingarrestedanddetainedatall?...[Notarrestingthem]

wouldsave

far

more

police

time

and

public

resources,

and

save

the

targeted

young

people

from

astigmatizingcriminalarrestrecordfordrugpossession.AsNewYorkGovernorAndrewCuomoputitin

hisStateoftheStateaddressinJanuary,"Thesearrestsstigmatize,theycriminalize,theycreatea

permanentrecord.It'snotfair,it'snotright,itmustend"....

MostofBloomberg'shundredsofthousandsofmarijuanapossessionarrestsoverthelast10yearswere

theresultofstopandfrisksinwhichpoliceeitherillegallysearchedpeoplebyreachingintotheirpockets

andbelongings,ororderedthemtoemptytheirpockets(whichisprobablyalsoillegal).Middleclassand

upperclasswhitesinNewYorkCityarerarelystoppedandsearchedbythepolice,andthereforerarely

arrestedoreventicketedformarijuanapossession.Yetyoungwhitesusemarijuanaathigherratesthan

youngblacksandLatinos.

Itistimeforeveryoneinthecitytobecoveredbythesamemarijuanapossessionpolicylongenjoyedby

middle andupperclasswhiteNewYorkers:noarrests,noticketsandnofines.

AlbanyTimesUnion,byJimmyVielkind,Capitolbureau,March12,201338

AlbanyCountyDistrictAttorneyP.DavidSoaresjoinedapressconferenceheldbymembersoftheBlack,

PuertoRican,HispanicandAsianLegislativeCaucustochangethestatesmarijuanalawsinordertoclose

aloopholethathasledtothearrestofthousandsofmostlyyoung,mostlyblackandHispanic,New

YorkCitymen....

Thesearrestshavehavecollateraldamageonyouth,hesaid.Theresalsotheissueofresourcesthat

arebeingusedinlawenforcementinenforcingtheselaws.Theseareresourcesthatcouldbebetter


14/16

14

appliedtoaddressissueslikegunviolenceanddomesticviolencethatwebelieveshouldalwaysbea

priorityforlawenforcement.

AlbanyTimesUnion,ByJimmyVielkind,March13,201339

Abidtodecriminalizesmallamountsofmarijuanaisamongthenonfiscalitemsthatcouldworktheir

wayintothestatebudgetasnegotiationsdrawtoaclose....CriticsoftheNewYorkCityPolice

Department's

stop

and

frisk

program

say

some

targets

are

told

to

take

marijuana

out

of

their

pockets,

whereitwouldonlypromptaticket,andinto"publicview,"wheretheycanbearrestedandcharged

withamisdemeanor.

Theresult,accordingtoAssemblymanKarimCamara,aBrooklynDemocratwhochairstheBlack,Puerto

Rican,HispanicandAsianLegislativeCaucus,isthatblackandHispanicyouthareunjustlyand

disproportionatelysaddledwithcriminalrecords,eventhoughstudiesshowmarijuanauseismore

prevalentamongwhites.

"We'renotonlypunishingtheindividual;we'repunishingsociety,"saidCamara,notingthehighcostsof

enforcementandthedifficultypeoplewitharrestrecordsfacegettingintocollege."Thesearrestshave

collateraldamageonyouth,"agreedAlbanyCountyDistrictAttorneyDavidSoares,whojoinedCamaraat

anewsconferenceorganizedbytheDrugPolicyAlliance.

ENDNOTES

1The reports of the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, and much other information, can be found at:http://marijuana-arrests.com/ The NYPD, of course, does not make information available about the hoursofficers spend on particular police work. Therefore, in our ongoing research at national police conferences, inacademic settings and private meetings we have talked with many police officers from New York and other bigcities about everything they do, and in particular about the time they spend arresting people for simplemisdemeanors, especially for possession of a small amount of marijuana.We have also learned much fromformer prosecutors and judges, and for this report from Max Gross, a former researcher for the NY CivilianComplaint Review Board. For a discussion of the research and its methods see:Harry Levine and DeborahSmall, Marijuana Arrest Crusade: Racial Bias and Police Policy in New York City, NYCLU: http://marijuana-arrests.com/docs/MARIJ UANA-ARREST-CRUSADE.pdf

2 Harry Levine and Loren Siegel, $75 Million A Year: The Cost of New York City's Marijuana PossessionArrests," Drug Policy Alliance, March 2011:http://marijuana-arrests.com/docs/75-Million-A-Year.pdf

3"Reefer Madness: Broken Windows Policing and Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests in New York City, 1989-2000", Criminology and Public Policy 2007:http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=948753

4 For a discussion of the research see: Harry Levine and Deborah Small, Marijuana Arrest Crusade: Racial

Bias and Police Policy in New York City, NYCLU: http://marijuana-arrests.com/docs/MARIJ UANA-ARREST-CRUSADE.pdf

5 Anthony Bouza, quoted on page 103 of: http://marijuana-arrests.com/docs/MARIJ UANA-ARREST-CRUSADE.pdf

6Marc Jacobson, NY Magazine: http://dragon.soc.qc.cuny.edu/Staff/levine/NYPotArrests/NYMag-The-Splitting-Image-of-Pot--Sept-2009.pdf

7 J im Dwyer: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/nyregion/23about.html?_r=0

8Charles Blow: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/opinion/23blow.html?_r=0

9J esse Levine: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-levine/bloombergs-reefer-madness_b_836278.html


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10 Ailsa Chang: http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/apr/26/marijuana-arrests/

11 New York Observer: http://politicker.com/2011/05/critics-of-marijuana-arrests-make-an-economics-argument/

12 Kristin Gwynne: www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/600637/is_nyc_the_marijuana_arrest_capital_of_the_world

13J im Dwyer: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/nyregion/push-for-marijuana-arrests-in-ny-has-side-effects.html

14 New York Daily News Editorial: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/police-commissioner-ray-kelly-ease-arrests-small-amounts-pot-article-1.952070#ixzz1ZLKiOP00

15 Steven Thrasher: http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/3091012/

16 Steven Wishnia: http://www.alternet.org/print/story/153617/hypocritical_nypd_continues_racist_pot_arrest_crusade

17 Associated Press: http://news.yahoo.com/pot-arrests-top-50k-2011-despite-nypd-order-182052393.html

18 Gabriel Sayegh: http://www.alternet.org/print/story/154012/how_the_nypd%27s_ongoing_petty_pot_arrest_crusade_hurts_the_black_and_latino_community

19 New York World: http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/2012/03/30/study-nypd-violating-kelly-edict/

20 Brent Staples: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/the-cost-of-zero-tolerance.html

21 District Attorney Cyrus Vance: http://manhattanda.org/da-vance-testimony-marijuana-law-reform

22New York Times Editorial: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/opinion/no-crime-real-punishment.html

23 Ailsa Chang, WNYC: http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/jun/05/evolution-cuomos-push-lower-pot-arrests/

24Bill Hammond: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/cuomo-pitch-yes-cannabis-article-

1.1089810?localLinksEnabled=false

25 Heather Mac Donald: http://www.city-journal.org/2012/eon0607hm.html

26 Wendy Ruderman & J oseph Goldstein: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/in-lawsuit-police-officers-are-accused-of-ignoring-directive-on-marijuana-arrests/

27 Former Mayor Ed Koch: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-koch/stopandfrisk-and-the-mari_b_1626941.html

28 Eduardo Porter: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/business/in-rethinking-the-war-on-drugs-start-with-the-numbers.html?pagewanted=all

29 New York Times Editorial: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/opinion/an-ineffective-way-to-fight-crime.html?_r=0

30Bog Gangi: http://www.alternet.org/when-police-are-encouraged-abuse-not-protect

31Issa Kohler-Hausmann, New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/war-marijuana-nypd-article-

1.1215819

32Governor Andrew Cuomo: http://marijuana-arrests.com/docs/Gov-Cuomo-on-marijuana-arrests-J an-9-2012.pdf

33 NY RISING, State of the State Report:http://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/themes/governor/sos2013/2013SOSBook.pdf

34Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/usa-newyork-bloomberg-idUSL1N0BECHK20130214

35 Wall Street J ournal: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP26213c7e6a3d4a6a8d6454c652af05e9.html

36 NY Daily News Editorial: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/nice-day-dude-article-1.1265725?

37 Harry Levine: http://www.alternet.org/print/buzz-about-nyc-mayors-move-reduce-marijuana-arrests-way-overblown

38 Albany Times Union:http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/181447/david-soares-pushes-for-marijuana-law-changes/

39 Albany Times Union:http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Easing-marijuana-law-in-play-4349842.php#media-61574


16/16

HarryLevine,LorenSiegel,andGabrielSayegh,"OneMillionPoliceHours:

Making440,000MarijuanaPossessionArrestsinNewYorkCity,"20022012,

DrugPolicyAllianceandMarijuanaArrestResearchProject,NYC,March2013.

Forpressqueriesandotherinformationcontact:

GabrielSayegh,[email protected],/2126138048office

Forfurtherinformationaboutmarijuanaarrestssee:

http://marijuana-arrests.com

Documents

One Million Police Hours