New York City's controversial policing tactic known as stop-and-frisk was ruled unconstitutional by a U.S. judge last week, reigniting the issue. Its chief defenders---soon-to-be departing mayor, Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly --- have been making media rounds in defense of the program. But with Bloomberg's legacy and Kelly's possible future position as Secretary of Homeland Security hanging in the balance--is the tone they want to strike one of inflexibility?
When asked by Meet The Press host David Gregory on Sunday if people will die as a direct result of stop-and-frisk ending, Kelly responded: "Well, I think no question about it, violent crime will go up. And again, this is not a program. This is something that's integral to policing. This happens throughout America in any police jurisdiction. You have to do it."
President and CEO of the NAACP Ben Jealous blasted the program on Monday's All In. "Effective police work focused on behavior is what gets guns off the street. Stop and Frisk doesn't," he told MSNBC. And if Ray Kelly is nominated for Secretary of Homeland Security, Jealous vows that he "will face the fiercest opposition from the civil rights community that any person put forward by President Obama ever has. We will be vocal and outspoken."
---
Watch the full segment above