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Public Safety
We at ADA are concerned about the growing population of non-violent offenders in our prisons, as well as reports of police misconduct in our streets. We recognize that the law enforcement community provides a vital service, and that many people on the streets are dangerous. However, we feel more must be done to insure that the citizenry feels that the law is there to help them, not to harm.
We support:
A police department accountable to the citizenry. We support an effective civilian review board to oversee allegations of corruption, police brutality, and police misconduct. While the police are there to police the streets, they cannot be expected to fairly and evenly police themselves.
Reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. Non-violent offenders who pose no obvious threat to the public overcrowd our jails. The Rockefeller Drug Laws are bad laws and exact severe punishment for many acts that deserve counseling and treatment, not jail time. It has long been time for a change.
A moratorium on the death penalty. Recent DNA evidence suggests that some of our prisoners on death row can indeed be proven innocent, as well as some prisoners already executed for crimes they did not commit. While we believe that the death penalty is inhumane and shows little evidence of being a deterrent to crime, we believe that it is imperative that we stop at least until we can determine to what extent the penalty has been meted out to innocent prisoners.
A police force in touch with the local community. Many of the problems between the police department and local communities have resulted from misunderstandings caused by the fact that the police department are seen as outsiders and do not have roots in the local community. We support efforts to involve local communities with the police force by recruitment campaigns in minority communities, public forums where the police can meet with locals, and expanded uniformed street patrols. We support the efforts made by legislators to insure that a large percentage of the police force are residents of New York City, and, where possible, residents of the local community, as well as efforts made to make the police force more diverse.
We are opposed to:
The practice of racial profiling. While many police forces deny that they racially profile suspects, evidence leads us to believe that the practice is alive and well. Profiling results in "stop and frisk" acts that threaten law-abiding community members. This causes many problems with minority communities. When there is a crisis, these acts are weighed by many responsible community leaders against the policy statements.
Reforms of the department without civilian oversight. While we support efforts to follow up on allegations of police misconduct, they are meaningless without real civilian involvement in the process. The police cannot and should not be expected to oversee themselves.
Throwing money at the police department without a plan. While in some circumstances putting more officers on the beat is the best solution to crime problems, there are times when a more thorough plan is necessary. We should not assume that crime must necessarily be inversely proportional to the amount of money spent on the police force. We should also work on solutions involving education, local outreach, and economic revival, working directly on crime, but also on the deeper problems which encourage it.