Cops and Stops: An Analysis of NYPD's Stop, Question, and Frisk Practices - Softcover

Eterno, John A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1032973277 ISBN 13: 9781032973272

Publisher: Routledge, 2026

Synopsis

This book focuses on the controversial aggressive police practices employed to control crime by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the harm that has resulted and may further be produced if not checked. Informed by the author’s personal experience as a retired NYPD Captain, as well as by his research in the field, this book explains the broad influence of stop and frisk as well as other aggressive policies.

In the mid‑1990s, with the election of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a new era of aggressive policing began in New York City. While apparently helping lead to a decline in crime, the side effects of tactics such as stop and frisk led to powerful repercussions. A new Inspector General was appointed, the department came under federal review for racist and unconstitutional stops, and officers were required to record almost every citizen interaction. Names of individuals affected by these tactics, including Amadou Diallo, Eric Garner, and Abner Louima, among others, remain in the public consciousness. Practices such as stop and frisk in part fueled social justice movements like Black Lives Matter, and their use erodes public trust in the police, with many calling for increased scrutiny of police power, reduced police budgets, and even abolishment.

Designed for students in criminal justice programs as well as recruits in police training, this book explains and critiques stop and frisk and related tactics and recommends paths to a better future.

About this title

About the Author

John A. Eterno, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Department at Molloy University. He is also Director of Graduate Studies in Criminal Justice and a retired NYPD Captain. He is a Fulbright scholar and President of the American Academy for Law Enforcement, Long Island. He has penned numerous books, chapters, articles, and editorials on various criminal justice topics. His research has appeared on the front page of The New York Times and op‑eds published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Guardian. Among his books is The Crime Numbers Game: Management by Manipulation (with Eli Silverman).

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1032973277
• ISBN 13: 9781032973272
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 150