Maryland U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings on Stop-and-Frisk Policies

Washington, D.C. (September 21, 2016)— Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) issued the following statement after The Associated Press reported that Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump called for expanded use of stop-and-frisk policies:

“Donald Trump wants to implement New York’s failed stop-and-frisk policies of the past nationwide. The United States Constitution guarantees the rights of all Americans, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York already ruled in 2013 that stop-and-frisk, as previously practiced in New York, was unconstitutional.

These policies erode trust between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Plus, they have proven to be ineffective. A recent Department of Justice report found that of more than 300,000 recorded pedestrian stops conducted by the Baltimore City Police Department between 2010 and 2015, less than 4 percent resulted in a criminal citation or arrest.

As we continue to debate the role of police in our communities, we must emphasize policies that will repair the damaged relationship between police departments and the communities they serve, and policies that will enable our officers to effectively keep our streets safe.”

Courts have struck down stop-and-frisk policies, finding them to be unconstitutional. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy was unconstitutional, calling it a “policy of indirect racial profiling.”