Unions Urge Judge To Nix Law Easing Suits Vs. NYPD
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Police unions say a New York City law easing the way for racial profiling claims could entangle officers in lawsuits over elusive questions about what they were thinking when stopping someone.
Two unions and city lawyers faced off in a Manhattan court Tuesday.
The unions want the law struck down. The city says the law is valid and can improve community trust in police.
The 2013 law relaxes some legal standards for claims that stop-and-frisk or other police tactics were used in a discriminatory way.
Then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration sued to try to block the law. New Mayor Bill de Blasio instead joined the City Council in defending the law against the unions' suit.
A judge hasn't said when he'll rule.
In August, the City Council passed legislation creating an outside watchdog for the nation's biggest police department and make it easier for people to file profiling claims against it, overriding a veto by Bloomberg.
Last month, former federal prosecutor Philip Eure was named the first-ever inspector general of the NYPD.
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