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NYPD Supervisor Demands Racially Biased Searches in New Tape

A new tape recorded by an NYPD officer reveals a supervisor demanding more racially biased stop-and-frisk searches.

On the fourth day of the trial challenging the NYPD's stop-and-frisk procedures, a new tape reveals a supervisor demanding more racially biased stop-and-frisk searches.

Officer Pedro Serrano recorded a conversation he had in February with his supervisor Deputy Inspector Christopher McCormack of the 40th precinct in the Bronx section of New York City. During the exchange, which eventually turned heated, McCormack states that only doing two stops does not correlate with the high crime in the area.

"We're still one of the most violent commands in the city, and to stop two people, you know, to see only two things going on, that's almost like you're purposefully not doing your job at all," he says on the recording, according to the Village Voice.

The inspector then instructs Serrano to stop "the right people, at the right time, at the right location," and Serrano challenges him on the statement.

The Village Voice reports:
Serrano is puzzled. "Mott Haven is full of Black and Hispanic people, so who are the right people?"

The inspector seems to get annoyed. "This is not, this is not..."

"So what am I supposed to do? Is it stop every Black and Hispanic?" Serrano says. "I'm not going to do that. You want to do that. I'm not going to do that."

"No, no, no, this is very important to understand," the inspector says. "Because it's the right people, the right time, the right location."

"Mott Haven is full of Black people, so who are the right people?" Serrano asks.

McCormack: "The problem was male Blacks, 14 to 20, 21."

Serrano: "So what am I supposed to do? Male Blacks 14 to 20 wearing dark clothing? What do you want me to do specifically?"

McCormack: "Hold on, hold on, would you just do me a favor on take it down? Because this is becoming insubordination."

Serrano: "All right."

The dialogue ends with both men losing their tempers. "You're done, OK? This is over with. That's it," McCormack says.

Read full story here
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(Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

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