A Lawsuit alleges the NYPD of stopping random cabs and searching passengers.

New York Civil Liberties Union officials filed a lawsuit seeking to place restrictions on a program that allows police to pull over some taxis and liveries, alleging that officers are using these inspection stops to question and search passengers.

The lawsuit focuses on the New York Police Department’s Taxi/Livery Robbery Inspection Program, or TRIP, which allows officers to pull over without cause any taxi and livery cab whose company has voluntarily enrolled in the program. Participating vehicles are identified by a decal. The program guidelines stipulate that officers are allowed to visually inspect the vehicle and briefly question the driver.

In at least two cases, the NYCLU alleges that passengers were told they were subject to police questioning and searches because they riding in participating vehicles. The lawsuit states that nothing in the program allows officer to “detain, question, frisk, or search passengers without independent suspicion of wrongdoing.”

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne defended the practice. “Police stops save lives, so does the TRIP program,” he said in an email.

“We’re not challenging the program in general but we are challenging the police pulling passengers out of the cars and searching them without any suspicion or cause,” said Christopher Dunn, the NYCLU’s associate legal director.


Link:
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/05/26/lawsuit-challenges-nypds-taxi-stop-and-frisk-effort/