Activists vs. cops in frisk case

Activists and city officials, including new Public Advocate Letitia James, announced last Friday that advocates will take legal action against police union efforts to overturn a new law meant to stop police frisks of people due to their appearance.
The move is the latest in a series of legal maneuvers taken by both sides in the controversy over police stops and frisks.
Communities United for Police Reform and members of the Community Safety Act Coalition filed briefs arguing against granting standing to several police unions in their bid to continue a lawsuit, filed by the Bloomberg administration, that seeks to overturn new restrictions on stop and frisk. Those were passed by the City Council and are designed to prohibit stops based on race and other demographic factors.
Police say those are already illegal, and that the new law will hamper crime-fighting efforts. But the de Blasio administration agrees with the activists and intends to drop the suit, which is why the unions want standing to continue it. The case is separate from the federal suit over stop and frisk that also resulted in new regulations, now on hold.