New York:  According to a court-appointed federal monitor, New York City's reliance on the "stop and frisk" tactic as part of a new initiative to combat gun violence is harming communities of colour and breaking the law.

Mylan Denerstein, a monitor, claimed that the Neighbourhood Safety Teams, which the NYPD has used in recent months to seize weapons in high-crime areas, were engaging in "unconstitutional policing" by stopping and frisking an excessive number of people without cause.

According to Denerstein, only 41% of stops, 32% of frisks, and 26% of searches in one police precinct were legal.

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The Neighbourhood Safety Teams, which operate in 34 areas that make up 80% of the city's crime, are a replacement for the anti-crime units that the NYPD disbanded in 2021.

The Neighbourhood Safety Teams (NSTs), a replacement for the anti-crime units that the NYPD disbanded in 2021, are active in 34 neighbourhoods that account for 80% of the violent crime in the city, primarily in communities of colour. According to Denerstein, 97 percent of the people the teams have stopped are Black or Hispanic.

City officials "have serious concerns" with Denerstein's methodology, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, and they only became aware of her findings after news organisations reported on them. Shootings have decreased, according to the spokesperson, Fabien Levy, since the Neighbourhood Safety Teams were established.

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According to Levy, who added that "any unconstitutional stop is unacceptable, and we will strive to do better for New Yorkers every day," officers assigned to the units "have enhanced training and oversight to ensure we are not only keeping New Yorkers safe, but protecting their civil liberties as well."

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After Adams announced in March 2022 that the NYPD was deploying Neighbourhood Safety Teams in some precincts to combat gun violence, Denerstein claimed she started her review. In their designated neighbourhoods, team members conduct stops, frisks, and searches while driving unmarked cars and wearing modified uniforms.