Pat Lynch reacts to another gun-toting juvenile’s stop-and-frisk conviction being overturned by the Appellate Division

PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said: 

“This police officer’s testimony describes a legally executed and appropriate stop that resulted in the confiscation of a dangerous and illegal handgun from a juvenile in a neighborhood overrun with guns.  The ability of a police officer to stop, question and frisk an individual is a highly effective tactic when left to the discretion of a police officer.  However, its usefulness as a tool is corrupted when quotas are applied.  Police officers’ discretion to use the appropriate tool in any given set of circumstances is critical to effective policing.”