Criminal Justice question

Access: Read/Write

Policy: Recently, there has been considerable attention paid to “stop and frisk” policies in NY in which police can question and pat-down anyone in a public area that appears to be acting suspiciously (e.g., teenagers hanging out near an ATM). Many police officers note this leads to confiscation of myriad illegal firearms and may be responsible for dramatic drops in violent crime. Others argue it results in racial discrimination and unacceptable infringement on civil liberty. What is your opinion—should police be allowed to do this?