Home : Police Practices

Arrest of 13-Year-Old for Writing on Desk Should Be Wake-up Call for City, NYCLU Says (04/06/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union today condemned the treatment of a 13-year-old girl who was arrested after she wrote the word "okay" on her school desk. The NYCLU said the incident sheds light on the fatal flaws in New York City's use of law enforcement to impose discipline in classrooms.

ACLU of Colorado Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Innocent Woman Who Was Wrongfully Arrested and Jailed Due to "Recklessly Sloppy" Police Work (02/12/2007)
DENVER - In a lawsuit filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado charged that a Denver police officer's "recklessly sloppy" police work - which included false statements and crucial omissions in an affidavit the officer submitted to a judge - caused a local woman with no criminal record to be falsely arrested and jailed for an incident with which she had no connection whatsoever.

NYCLU Says New NYPD Stop-and-Frisk Database Raises Major Privacy Concerns (02/05/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union today raised major concerns about the revelation that the New York City Police Department is compiling a massive new database of law-abiding New Yorkers, mostly black and Hispanic, who have been stopped by the police. The NYCLU demanded that the NYPD take immediate steps to protect the privacy rights of persons who are stopped and frisked but not convicted of a crime.

City Cannot Block Release of NYPD Materials from Republican National Convention, Federal Court Rules (01/22/2007)
NEW YORK - A federal judge today rejected the city's attempt to block the New York Civil Liberties Union from making public extensive information on the mass arrests and detentions that occurred during the 2004 Republic National Convention.

ACLU Tells New Orleans Police Chief to Get Tough on Crime But Respect Civil Liberties (01/10/2007)
NEW ORLEANS - In response to the severe crime problem in New Orleans, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today called on Police Chief Warren Riley to "get tough" and lawfully target known criminals, while respecting and protecting the constitutional freedoms of residents. The ACLU also called for independent oversight of the police to build trust with the public, and urged public officials to engage in preventative measures to strengthen communities and families and rebuild support structures.

NYCLU Report Documents Rapid Proliferation of Video Surveillance Cameras (12/14/2006)
NEW YORK - New York City is creating a massive video surveillance infrastructure, according to a New York Civil Liberties Union report released today. The proliferation of video surveillance cameras without legal or regulatory constraints has profound implications for basic rights and liberties, said the NYCLU.

ACLU of Southern California Acts to Stop Arbitrary Skid Row Searches (12/08/2006)
LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, civil rights attorney Carol Sobel, and law firm Hadsell & Stormer today asked a court to extend a 2003 agreement that prohibits L.A. police from searching Skid Row residents without reasonable suspicion that they have committed a crime or violated parole or probation.

In Wake of Bell Shooting, NYCLU Protests NYPD Failure to Comply with Racial Profiling Reform Mandated After Diallo Shooting (11/29/2006)
NEW YORK - In light of rekindled debates about race and policing after the Sean Bell shooting, the New York Civil Liberties Union today protested the New York Police Department’s failure to comply with a city law enacted in the aftermath of the 1999 Amadou Diallo police shooting to address concerns about racial profiling.

NYCLU Says City Agency Allowed Massive Backlog of Police Misconduct Cases (11/14/2006)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union today said it has obtained documents showing that a city agency allowed a backlog of more than 800 police misconduct cases to build up and then dispensed with them all in one day.

NYCLU Urges NYPD to Set Boundaries for "Professional Courtesy" (11/13/2006)
NEW YORK - In response to reports that New Yorkers are using police union cards to avoid prosecution, the New York Civil Liberties Union today called on the New York City Police Department to assure that the "professional courtesy" given police officers and their friends and families does not turn into law-enforcement immunity.

ACLU of Southern California Denounces Police Brutality Captured on Video (11/09/2006)
LOS ANGELES - The following statement can be attributed to Ramona Ripston, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

Colorado Woman Was Wrongly Arrested, Jailed and Strip Searched, ACLU Charges (10/17/2006)